Chapter 205: Bamboo Mountain

The next day, escorted by his mother and Mu Qingzhu among others, Mu Feng left Mu Manor in a carriage.

Traveling light, the carriage contained nothing but some essential clothes, dry provisions, and a basket of books. To a scholar, nothing was more important than books. In books, there were golden houses and beautiful women; in books, there were also principles of how to conduct oneself and handle affairs.

As his cultivation improved, Mu Feng increasingly felt the importance of reading and learning.

The higher one’s learning, the more profound their knowledge, and many doubts in cultivation became clear instantly. Sometimes, an unintentional moment of enlightenment would resolve many confusions at once.

Many cultivators advanced quickly at first, showing outstanding strength and exceptional talent. But later on, their cultivation speed slowed down, even stagnating for years at certain bottlenecks, never breaking through in their lifetime. Why?

It was not that they were not smart enough, not that they were not diligent enough, but because their knowledge was shallow. They only knew how to cultivate and did not know how to read widely and learn extensively. When they encountered obscure, indescribable parts of cultivation techniques, they often could not understand them their entire lives, and their cultivation naturally stalled.

Being accomplished in both literary and military arts!

This was what ancient texts always said, and it was widely circulated among the people. It seemed these words held truth about cultivation.

However, after being passed down for millions of years, people no longer knew the true meaning of this saying. Ordinary people either studied rigidly, reading dead books, pursuing fame and fortune without caring about strengthening their bodies, or they only practiced martial arts, single-mindedly pursuing power, fighting and competing fiercely—all starting on the wrong path!

Following the flow of people past the magnificent city gate of Jianning City, the carriage picked up speed. Soon, it left this important town of the Southern Borderlands far behind. Supported by Mu Qingzhu, Situ Qing had accompanied him all the way to the city gate. Watching their figures grow smaller and blurrier, Mu Feng suddenly felt his nose tingle.

When parents are alive, do not travel far!

This was a sage’s teaching from ancient texts. But from ancient times to the present, how many people could actually follow it?

The life-and-death duel with Mu Tie in three years, the thirst for power, the pursuit of knowledge, fulfilling his mother’s wishes—all these things drove Mu Feng to work tirelessly, eagerly absorbing knowledge from all fields, trying every possible way to improve his strength as quickly as possible.

Just as Mu Feng was lost in thought, the coachman’s voice came, “Young Master Mu, it’s almost noon. We won’t rest at noon; we’ll travel straight through and stay at Yangjiao Town over fifty li away tonight. What do you think?”

“Alright! Uncle Fu, you often travel this road and know it well. You know how to get to Jiangling Prefecture as quickly as possible. You can make these decisions.”

Mu Feng nodded and lowered the cloth curtain of the carriage’s rear compartment.

The coachman, called Uncle Fu, was someone he had personally found in the city to avoid another accident like last time. Although Uncle Fu was somewhat old, he was experienced and frequently traveled the official road between Jianning and Jiangling, familiar with the terrain and local customs along the way. Hiring him to drive saved a lot of trouble.

“Alright then, giddy up… giddy up…”

Hearing Mu Feng’s words, Uncle Fu felt pleased. He whipped the reins hard, and the tall, sturdy carriage rumbled forward, speeding up.

Who was Young Master Mu?

He was the Jianning First Scholar, in people’s eyes, a future high official second only to one person, above tens of thousands. Driving for him was already an honor; decades later, when he could no longer walk, he could still brag to other old men. Now, with Mu Feng saying that he could make decisions along the way, such respect was an even greater glory.

Uncle Fu, who had struggled for three meals all his life, was thrilled and gave it his all. Under his control, the tall carriage moved smoothly and quickly, crossing mountains and passing through villages.

After watching the scenery outside the window for a while, Mu Feng sat cross-legged in the carriage. He focused his eyes on his nose, his nose on his heart, and concentrated on quiet cultivation. He did not contemplate the Wumen Divine Arts, nor did he practice the Blood Refining Art. Instead, he silently recited scriptures from the Buddhist sutras. Slowly, his body and mind calmed, all his muscles relaxed, and his spiritual platform became clear and empty.

With each recitation of a scripture, his inner Spiritual Soul gently stirred, transforming into streams of Divine Sense that circled within his body, like a faint electric current slowly flowing through. The shape and changes of every inch of his muscles and bones were imprinted in his mind.

Gradually, the vibrations of his Spiritual Soul grew stronger, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, containing an inexplicable rhythm. Though his cross-legged body in the carriage appeared motionless on the surface, his inner muscles and bones slowly shook under the impact of the Divine Sense, forcing out wisps of black energy. Slowly, his already tough muscles and bones began to emit a glazed brightness, becoming even more resilient, like pure, flawless crystals.

Great Sun Tathagata Glazed Art!

Mu Feng quietly practiced the Buddhist Sect mental technique passed down by Master Kongwu, further tempering his robust body.

After his encounter with the Poison Sect and narrowly escaping ambushes by cold-blooded killers like Dao Duanliu time and again, he understood that a strong Spiritual Soul was indispensable, but a powerful body was even more important. If his body was strong enough, an instinctive reaction at a critical moment might save his life. Without a strong body, even if his Spiritual Soul was incredibly powerful, a single careless moment could allow an enemy to strike successfully!

After staying one night in Yangjiao Town, the two set off at dawn the next day, covered in dust.

At first, Mu Feng was cautious and vigilant everywhere to avoid enemy ambushes. The threat from the Immortal Sword Sect had temporarily subsided, but the shadow of the evil, peerless Devil Leader, Blind Master, lingered. After several days with no abnormalities and no suspicious signs detected, he gradually relaxed.

During the day, he read or cultivated in the carriage; at night, he stayed in villages or inns along the road. Slowly, they left the borders of Jianning, crossed the rushing Jianshui River, and arrived north of Jianshui. At this pace, in just over half a month, they would reach Jiangling Prefecture.

“Young Master Mu, look, ahead is the famous Bamboo Mountain. The scenery is nice, but the area on the other side of the mountain, Niulan Chong, isn’t very peaceful. We’d better rush through and stay in Guangnan Town tonight!”

This day, at noon, the carriage arrived before a large mountain. The driving Uncle Fu consulted Mu Feng as he continued to steer.

Looking out through the carriage window, the mountain ahead was covered with evergreen bamboo. The bamboo shadows swayed, rustling in the wind. The enchanting scenery reminded him of the Hermit of Purity’s First Rank Studio. Compared to the bamboo grove at First Rank Studio, the wild bamboo forest here was more magnificent and grand. After the carriage entered the winding mountain road, all that could be seen were elegant mountain bamboos.

“Alright, Uncle Fu, we’ll stay in Guangnan Town then!”

Mu Feng gave the order and continued to enjoy the roadside scenery through the window.

The ancients said, one could eat without meat, but must not live without bamboo! If he had the leisure, building a thatched hut on this Bamboo Mountain to live for a while would be quite an enjoyment. However, from what Uncle Fu said, it seemed there were bandits around, making the area unsettled. Petty thieves were nothing to worry about, but to avoid complications, it was best to rush through quickly.