As the village head, Du Liushui was deeply troubled by the mosquito problem. The issue had been manageable when the weather was cooler, but now that the heat of summer had set in, it had become unbearable.
His eldest grandson, with his chubby, fair face, was particularly beloved by the mosquitoes, and his skin had swollen up badly from their bites. The poor child, unable to endure the itch, constantly tried to scratch at his face, but the adults couldn't allow that. A child's delicate skin would break with even a little scratching.
They had to keep dabbing cool water from the well onto the bites to soothe the itch, but the mosquitoes were relentless this year. As soon as the cloth warmed even a little, the itch would come back with full force, overwhelming the child once more.
No matter how fast they swapped out the cooling cloths, it never seemed enough to keep up with the speed of the mosquito bites.
Adults could bear the irritation, but how could a small child endure it?
Soon, cries echoed from many homes with young children, the heartbreaking wails of little ones suffering from the unbearable itching.
Du Liushui's daughter-in-law, Hu Shi, couldn't stand to see her child crying so pitifully. She picked him up and walked around, trying to soothe him. But the yard was small, and no matter how fast she moved, she couldn't escape the mosquitoes. One moment she would shake them off, only to run into more the next.
Frustrated, Hu Shi left the yard with her son, walking swiftly to escape the insects. As the cool evening breeze blew, the child began to calm down, resting against her shoulder with occasional hiccups from crying.
She walked aimlessly, and before she realized it, she had reached the entrance to the peach blossom path at the foot of North Mountain, where the sect's light post stood. She paused, feeling a bit embarrassed. She hadn't meant to wander into the immortal's territory.
Just as she was about to turn back, something caught her eye. She looked more closely at the light post near the mountain path entrance.
In the moonlight, the light post stood tall and serene, emitting a soft, soothing glow. It filled the hot summer night with a sense of peace and coolness. Even the normally noisy cicadas seemed to have quieted, their calls becoming long and gentle.
But what really caught Hu Shi's attention wasn't the peaceful atmosphere—it was the absence of mosquitoes around the light.
This was unusual. In her experience, summer nights always attracted swarms of mosquitoes to any source of light. But here, around the immortal's lamp, there wasn't a single mosquito in sight.
Could the immortal's lamp repel insects?
Curious, Hu Shi looked down at her now-sleeping son. Whispering a soft apology to the immortals in her heart, she slowly approached the light.
Beneath the lamp was a small rock, just large enough to sit on. After sitting for a few moments, she realized with relief that no mosquitoes were bothering her or her son. She sighed in contentment.
Gently shifting her child into a more comfortable position on her lap, she took some mint leaves from her pouch and crushed them in her hands, carefully applying the juice to his swollen face.
By the next morning, news of the immortal's mosquito-repelling lamp had spread throughout Xiushui Village.
That very evening, the villagers, no longer concerned about showing respect to the immortals, gathered with their children near the light post. They brought along their homemade remedies to rub on their children under the protection of the lamp's glow.
Though the effectiveness of their remedies was limited, they found some comfort under the light. Staying at home had become unbearable, so they felt they had no choice but to seek relief at the immortal's light post.
Even the wealthy families who had recently moved into the village couldn't resist joining the gathering.
Though the crowd was large, the area illuminated by the light was vast enough to accommodate everyone, and it seemed that as long as they stayed within its range, no mosquitoes could bother them. The villagers marveled at the mystical power of the immortal's lamp.
Only when exhaustion overtook them did they return home to rest late at night.
Naturally, this commotion didn't escape the notice of the Lingxian Sect members atop the mountain.
Just as Du Liushui, the village head, was about to use the communication talisman Lin Xiao had given him to ask for help, Lingxian Sect disciples arrived.
Liu Yunan went straight to Du Liushui and told him that the villagers were welcome to gather at the foot of the mountain near the lamp to escape the mosquitoes. He assured the village head that the sect would find a permanent solution as soon as possible.
Relieved, Du Liushui spread the good news to every household in the village.
Two days passed like this.
On the morning of the third day, Lingxian Sect sent word to Du Liushui that by sunset, the villagers should gather at the lamp, as the sect would distribute mosquito-repelling items.
Back at Lingxian Sect, everyone had taken the mosquito problem seriously ever since they learned of the villagers' plight. Sun Yigao, Mo Yuanjiao, and others had immediately put their work aside to focus on finding a solution.
After several rounds of research and refinement, they successfully developed a long-lasting mosquito-repellent oil that was completely safe for the body. This oil could be burned in lamps and had excellent repellent properties.
Just a small spoonful of the oil was enough to burn throughout the entire summer.
In total, Sun Yigao and his team produced several dozen barrels of the mosquito-repellent oil. The ingredients they used were relatively inexpensive, with one exception—a rare flower known as Qingke Bud, which grew in Elder Liao's garden.
Though Qingke Bud was valuable, they only needed a small amount, and even though it was rare, Elder Liao wasn't too concerned since the amount used wasn't excessive.
With the oil prepared, they needed someone to go down the mountain to distribute it to the villagers.
Liu Yunan calculated the amount of oil needed and divided the task into smaller parts, posting it on the task board in the Miscellaneous Hall.
Since the task involved going to the foot of the mountain, Liu Yunan also planned to go down personally, which meant it was marked as a mission that the new disciples could accept.
As Baishu, who came to the Miscellaneous Hall every day to report on the new disciples' progress and any unexpected issues, saw the new task posted, he was the first to accept it.
It seemed that the senior disciples had deliberately left this task open for the new disciples, perhaps to give them more opportunities to participate in sect affairs and experience the sect's philosophy of helping the mortal world.
Baishu, after accepting the mission, returned to the new disciples' quarters and shared the news with everyone.
Before long, the new disciples flocked to the Miscellaneous Hall, eager to participate in their first mission.