Chapter 342: Night Stroll to the Water God Temple
Pei Qian stared at the golden long bridge, reciting the teachings of the sages, while Zhu Lian was lost in thought.
The long bridge spanning the Burial River gradually vanished. Pei Qian was a little thirsty and thus lost her motivation for reading. She did want to learn fist techniques and swordsmanship, but Chen Ping'an was unwilling to teach her. As for Zhu Lian and the others, even if they were willing to teach, Pei Qian wouldn't want to learn from them anyway.
Chen Ping'an remained in that mysterious state of sitting in forgetfulness. Strangely, he found himself drifting outward, his soul leaving his body, hovering in the air, looking down at his own cross-legged form. The feeling was bizarre. Unlike the previous split when confronting Ding Ying and the eunuch in python robes, where his soul had divided into three, this separation of his soul from his body seemed more like the legendary Yin Spirit, similar to that of the gentleman Zhong Kui at the inn that night. However, Zhong Kui had cultivated both the Yang Spirit and the Yin Spirit. This "Chen Ping'an" was currently unstable, drifting and wavering with the spiritual energy and harsh winds carried by the Burial River's current, far less condensed and stable than Zhong Kui's two spirits.
If this "Chen Ping'an" were a toddler just learning to walk, then Zhong Kui was a strong young man who could traverse mountains and rivers as if on level ground.
Neither Pei Qian nor Zhu Lian noticed this strange phenomenon at all.
Both of the two Chen Ping'ans simultaneously felt a faint stir in their hearts, a thought arising that they couldn't shake off. The drifting Chen Ping'an turned his head to look downstream of the Burial River, while the cross-legged Chen Ping'an opened his eyes and said softly, "I need to practice the Sword Furnace Standing Pole here. The situation tonight is quite different; I can't explain in detail. Pei Qian, Zhu Lian, you might need to stand guard for me for a few hours."
Zhu Lian nodded with a smile, "It is this old servant's duty."
Pei Qian stomped her foot and sighed in lament, "You should have said so earlier! I would have brought some snacks as a midnight snack."
The Chen Ping'an whose soul had left his body took a step towards the Burial River, instantly flashing dozens of yards forward, directly onto the river's surface, floating and sinking like a piece of wood in "water." After stopping and adapting to this strange environment of treading in the void, he found that a light tap of his toe would send him gliding a great distance forward. Leaning forward, he skimmed over the Burial River's surface like a dragonfly touching water, resembling an immortal of the mountains treading the wind, or a pure martial artist of the eighth rank's Far Wandering realm.
Sleeves fluttering, wandering afar on the wind.
At this moment, Chen Ping'an was still unaware that, through a combination of fortunate coincidences, this was the nascent form of a Qi refiner's Yin Spirit.
Shedding the mortal body, integrating spirit and energy, having a body outside the body, this is the Yang Spirit, which delights in light.
With a single clear thought, entering the obscure and entering the netherworld, completely unfettered, this is the Yin Spirit, which delights in night travel.
A night visit to the Water God Temple.
Chen Ping'an felt that even just a single glance would suffice; he would go and return quickly.
As for the Chen Ping'an by the riverbank, he closed his eyes and formed the Sword Furnace hand seal.
Although one sat while the other roamed, the two were one integrated whole.
Everything seen and felt by the out-of-body Yin Spirit was perfectly clear to the closed-eyed Chen Ping'an practicing the Sword Furnace Standing Pole, as if he were experiencing it himself.
The mystery of the Great Way is profound and deep.
It was only at this moment that Chen Ping'an began to understand why cultivators would distance themselves from the mortal world, devote themselves to the Dao, and climb high to see far. He guessed that the scenery these Qi refiners saw was already a lofty place beyond the world.
At this moment, the Chen Ping'an by the riverbank appeared to be practicing the Sword Furnace, but in reality, he was continuing to visualize the long bridge in his mind with his eyes closed.
Compared to the two times in the Lotus Pod Blessed Land, it was much more stable. Although he felt, in some mysterious way, that he still couldn't walk on it and cross the river, he should be able to board the bridge and watch the river now. If Zhu Lian weren't by his side, Chen Ping'an would have walked up to try.
His visualization tonight was inspired both by the thought of a gentleman saving or not saving, and by the relationship between ferrying others and ferrying oneself.
Bringing Pei Qian along, Chen Ping'an only made her read and recite books; he had never spoken a single principle he had figured out himself. But by simply watching Pei Qian's every move and word, it was like looking into a mirror, and Chen Ping'an couldn't help but engage in self-reflection. Many things in books often did not deeply move him, and he couldn't grasp their true meaning. But with Pei Qian present, Chen Ping'an would think more, such as a gentleman examining himself three times daily, restraining oneself and restoring propriety, being cautious when alone...
After reading ten thousand scrolls, one begins to understand the divine.
Wonderful.
Pei Qian had already memorized the first book flawlessly. It seemed that after tonight's night stroll to the Water God Temple, he could probably let Pei Qian start on the second book.
Reading is not about quantity, but about how many characters one has truly absorbed.
This non-truth of a truth could be mentioned to Pei Qian, but he figured she would probably just regard it as water off a duck's back.
Legend has it that there was once a monk who knew very few characters, yet by reading only one sutra, he became a Buddha.
---
By the Burial River, two figures streaked like rainbows, their outlines blurry, vanishing in a flash as they hurried downstream.
They saw the three people by the riverbank and nodded lightly, as if greeting them.
Zhu Lian retracted his gaze only after they disappeared into the night.
It turned out to be the master and disciple who, after returning to the courier station and changing into Daoist robes, had only told Yao Zhen that they had business outside tonight and would return to the station before daybreak.
Yao Zhen wouldn't stop them; in fact, he couldn't. These two Liu Clan enshrined guardians stationed at the border were so enigmatic that even Yao Zhen, the head of the Yao family cavalry, didn't know their origins, backgrounds, or sect affiliations. Yao Zhen even suspected that this Daoist master and disciple might be directly under the command of the Emperor himself, tasked both with preventing Northern Jin grand cultivators from assassinating him and causing unrest in the border army, and with supervising the movements of the Yao family border troops. After all, he had a newly retired Minister of Rites as a marriage relative.
Because of this, Yao Zhen had privately asked Yao Jinzhi whether they should deliberately cultivate good relations with the two guardians. Not hoping for their protection for the future Yao clan that would take root in Mirage City, but at least to form a good bond.
She disagreed, saying that the two had special identities and must not be courted arbitrarily. When a minister serves an enlightened monarch, the greatest intelligence is to not even entertain thoughts of speculating on the Emperor's mind; overthinking is useless. But this was just advice for frontier ministers like the Yao clan. Close ministers at the Emperor's side were a different matter. Yao Zhen was a little unconvinced. His family had twice been on the verge of destruction. If not for Chen Ping'an saving them twice, they would have been gone long ago, and might even have been falsely accused of colluding with the enemy and plotting rebellion. If, on top of all this, he still thought about keeping himself clean and innocent, and once in Mirage City without the border army to back them up, wouldn't that be even more dangerous and unpredictable?
Yao Zhen thought of that prefect-disciple who had dismounted from his horse to become a civil official, and for a moment felt quite conflicted. Would he, as his granddaughter suggested, have to frequently deal with this kind of little bastard from now on?
Yao Jinzhi smiled, saying it was quite the opposite. When her aunt married into the capital back then, the Yao family had still tried to mind their own business and strictly adhere to ancestral rules. That was a mistake. Once in Mirage City, under the premise that the imperial court accepted grandfather, continuing to play it safe would be correct. If they tried to compete with powerful clans and nobles in terms of influence and tactics, the Yao family wouldn't even be able to gain a foothold in the capital. However, this didn't mean doing nothing and allowing themselves to be pushed around.
Yao Jinzhi quoted a famous Chan saying: "Walk to where the water ends, and sit to watch the clouds rise."
Yao Zhen sighed deeply.
Back when Yao Jinzhi was young, regarding her aunt marrying Li Xiling, who had knelt outside the Yao family ancestral hall in the heavy snow, she had, through her father's mouth, raised an objection to her grandfather Yao Zhen. Her general meaning was that the Yao family had abided by ancestral rules for hundreds of years. Once they made an exception, the Yao clan members knew it was for true love, but outsiders wouldn't care. Mirage City wouldn't care, the Emperor wouldn't care. If the ancestral precept forbidding Yao children from marrying into powerful clans was broken once, would the Yao family border troops, loyal to the Liu family, break it again?
Without the first, there is no second. But with the first, the second, third, and fourth would come in quick succession. That is common sense.
Grandfather, if I, Yao Jinzhi, were an outsider, I would suspect that the Yao family felt too constrained living in their remote corner.
Hearing this, the old general was filled with annoyance, but more than that, with grief and indignation.
Yao Jinzhi, calm and composed, handed her grandfather a cup of tea and said with a smile, "A general drinking wine can boost his heroic spirit, but once you become an official in Mirage City, Grandfather, you should switch to drinking tea."
Yao Zhen took the cup grumpily and downed it in one gulp, still acting as if he were drinking alcohol.
Yao Jinzhi smiled sweetly.
---
By the riverbank, the figures of the two Daoists flickered like wisps of green smoke, far faster than a galloping horse.
This pair of Daoist master and disciple, the old man came from a Daoist side sect called the Golden Summit Temple. Don't think the term "side sect" sounds bad; it's actually quite impressive. Among Daoist grotto-heavens and blessed lands outside of those termed 'sect', there weren't many qualified to be listed as a side sect even within a single continent.
Golden Summit Temple Daoists liked to cultivate their minds by engaging with the mortal world. Their numbers were small, fewer than a hundred, and once they entered the world, they tended to hide their names and identities, disliking relying on their backing or their ancestors.
The current Temple Master of Golden Summit Temple, already five hundred years old, was a genuine Nascent Soul Earth Immortal, with a great reputation in the northern part of Parasol Leaf Continent.
The old man's secular name was Yin Miaofeng, his Daoist name being the Baozhen Daoist, taken from the saying "Long life and enduring existence, preserving nature and holding onto truth." He belonged to the lineage of the Golden Summit Temple Master.
His only legitimate disciple was Shao Yuanran. Yin Miaofeng had met the young Shao Yuanran by chance after descending the mountain to enter the world. It took him a full fourteen years of observation before he decided to take him as a disciple. During this time, Baozhen Daoist set up three major tests, all of which Shao Yuanran passed. In terms of both temperament and talent, he was undoubtedly superior.
Shao Yuanran followed Baozhen Daoist to Golden Summit Temple, paid respects to the Temple Master, and bowed before the portraits in the Patriarch Hall. His name was then entered into the sect's genealogy, officially making him a 'Qian' generation disciple of Golden Summit Temple. Finally, he followed his master to the Great Spring Dynasty. The master and disciple duo became Liu Clan guardians together, responsible for watching the southern border, a tenure of ten years so far.
Although the extraordinarily handsome Shao Yuanran looked like a young man just coming of age, he was actually over forty years old.
Both master and disciple were Dragon Gate realm cultivators. Baozhen Daoist considered himself hopeless for the Golden Core realm. Shao Yuanran's talent far surpassed his. Becoming a Dragon Gate realm cultivator above the 'Gazing at the Sea' realm at such an age was truly a prodigy in the Dao. When the Temple Master heard that Shao Yuanran had broken through in the Great Spring borderlands, he specially sent someone down the mountain to bestow a sect magical treasure and also promised Shao Yuanran that once he successfully reached the Golden Core realm, an even more important, millennium-old treasure of the sect would be waiting for him to retrieve upon his return to the mountain, as a congratulatory gift.
Therefore, Yin Miaofeng hoped to use the profound resources of the Great Spring Liu Clan to help Shao Yuanran take a further step forward, to become a Golden Core guest, for that was truly an immortal person.
Qi refiners below the Golden Core realm were still confined within two greater or lesser cages.
Regarding Grand General Yao Zhen's appointment to the capital, Shao Yuanran had held back for a long time. Tonight, he finally opened his mouth to ask: "Master, has the Yao clan truly escaped this calamity?"
Yin Miaofeng asked, "What, disappointed? The Yao clan managed to retreat unscathed. Yao Jinzhi can continue her peaceful life. Maybe in Mirage City, she's soon going to marry into some powerful aristocratic family. Deep as the sea within a marquis' manor, hard to meet again. So you're feeling a bit unhappy inside?"
Shao Yuanran shook his head with a smile, "A bit of disappointment is inevitable, but cultivation is about cultivating the mind, following nature. If the Yao clan had been destroyed, your disciple would naturally have protected Yao Jinzhi, kept her under my wings. But since the Yao clan has overcome this difficulty, it means that my fate with Yao Jinzhi has not yet come. There's no need to force it. There will be opportunities in the future."
Yin Miaofeng chuckled, "Deep mountains often have trees a thousand years old, but the mortal world rarely has people reaching a hundred. Yao Jinzhi is not a cultivator. She is beautiful and moving now, so your heart stirring is normal. But in twenty years, even if fate brings you together, she will be an aging, faded woman. By that time, you, if lucky, might already be a Land Immortal. Would you still be moved by a mundane woman whose beauty has withered?"
Shao Yuanran replied with a faint smile, "We'll talk about that when the time comes."
Shao Yuanran was silent for a moment, the wind whistling past his ears, then asked, "Master, what is the reason for our sudden visit to the Bìyóu Manor tonight? Is it related to the flying sword message received from the capital yesterday?"
Yin Miaofeng said calmly, "In any case, it's not a small matter."
Shao Yuanran smiled helplessly. Since his master was unwilling to say more, he had to suppress his curiosity.
Bìyóu Manor was precisely the residence of the Burial River Water God, similar to the Golden Bracelet Manor where the Third Prince had escorted the prisoner earlier.
However, the Golden Bracelet Manor had lost its master, and was now probably infested with mountain spirits and monsters.
As a result of this campaign, the mountain and river qi of the Northern Jin Kingdom had suffered greatly. The Golden Bracelet Mountain God Manor Lord would soon be escorted to Mirage City. The Pine Needle Lake Water God Temple, which had been at odds with him for hundreds of years, had collapsed even earlier. Only a few stragglers remained from the Water God Temple, insignificant forces. It was already lucky for Northern Jin if they didn't cause local chaos.
However, Shao Yuanran recalled something and chuckled wryly. That mountain god's wife, who had just been married into the Golden Bracelet Manor Lord's household only to instantly become a prisoner, was truly unlucky. She must have thought she would enjoy a loving marriage for hundreds of years, far surpassing mortal couples. Who would have expected such an ending? He wondered how Mirage City would deal with her.
But these mundane, messy affairs were merely amusing anecdotes along the path of cultivation.
What Shao Yuanran saw before him was the free and unfettered Dao of Earth Immortal predecessors. What occupied his mind was eternal life, immortality, sharing the lifespan of heaven and earth.
Shao Yuanran's heart swelled with heroic spirit. Seeing no one around on both sides of the Burial River, he laughed heartily: "Master, I shall follow the example of the great flood dragon traveling down the river!"
This young Golden Summit Temple Daoist floated onto the river surface, treading water downstream. Each time his foot hit the water, it sent up huge splashes, yet his Daoist robe remained completely dry.
Yin Miaofeng, still drifting along the riverbank, watched his proud disciple's graceful figure on the river and murmured with a laugh, "You little rascal, once you become a Land Immortal, heaven only knows how insolent you'll get!"
---
Chen Ping'an only known the approximate distance and direction of the Water God Temple. Fortunately, he only needed to follow the river and keep an eye on both banks.
According to both Yao Zhen and Yao Jinzhi, three hundred li downstream from the courier station, the Burial River Water God Temple was built on a small nameless hill by the river. The slope was gentle. The temple fair was held from the first to the fifteenth day of the third lunar month, with over a hundred incense associations performing for the gods, making it extremely lively. High-ranking officials and nobles from nearby prefectures and counties would distribute congee and tea during the temple fair.
Yao Zhen had lamented at the time that for mountain and river spirits, establishing a 'manor' was the first major threshold. If they could elevate their residence to a 'palace', that would be true enlightenment. It would be no different from a mountain hermit sect obtaining the 'Sect' title.
Yao Jinzhi had especially mentioned another wonder of the Water God Temple: a side hall housed a statue of an Inspiring Lady, renowned far and wide for granting children. Its efficacy in answering prayers for children was famous everywhere. Almost every day, women from afar, mostly from wealthy families who had difficulty conceiving, would come to this side hall of the Water God Temple, kowtow and burn incense. By donating some silver, they could ask the old temple keeper for a small clay doll tied with a red string, which they would tie around their wrist. Once they returned home and successfully gave birth, they didn't need to return to fulfill a vow. They just couldn't discard the clay doll they brought home; they had to enshrine it as a distant thanks to the Inspiring Lady's grace.
However, what Chen Ping'an truly wanted to see was the more than two hundred large white jade stelae erected in front of the Water God Temple. Most of them contained beautiful essays praising the Burial River Water God's merits, written by the imperial court and literati after the Water God helped the Great Spring Liu Clan pacify droughts.
In about two hours less than estimated, Chen Ping'an, constantly looking left and right, finally drifted along the Burial River water to the small hill by the river.
The night was deep, and the main gate of the Water God Temple was closed, but Chen Ping'an could still see the brilliant lights shining from afar. This was also why Chen Ping'an had spotted the Water God Temple at a single glance.
Chen Ping'an suddenly realized that in this form, although Pei Qian and Zhu Lian couldn't see him, if there were a Middle Five Realm Qi refiner near the temple shrine, would they see right through him and consider him a malicious spirit active at night?
This made Chen Ping'an hesitate.
Had he come all this way, three hundred li by water, for nothing? Adding the return trip, that would be six hundred li.
But after thinking it over, Chen Ping'an, floating in the middle of the Burial River, decided to try approaching the shore. The worst-case scenario would be catching a distant glimpse of the Water God Temple gate, alarming the temple keeper or a local cultivator, and being chased for three hundred li, eventually having to ask Old General Yao Zhen at the courier station to explain.
Just then, a familiar voice sounded in his ear: "A Yin Spirit night stroll? Chen Ping'an, aren't you a pure martial artist? Can't you be a little more reasonable?"
Chen Ping'an turned his head and saw something that made him laugh despite himself.
Thirty paces away, a scholar in blue robes was squatting on the river surface, gripping a large handful of hair with both hands, as if trying to pull someone out of the Burial River.
It was Zhong Kui.
Chen Ping'an went over to Zhong Kui and asked, "What's this?"
Zhong Kui looked up and grinned, "I was just staking out a spot by the Water God Temple. I figured I'd burn the first stick of incense at dawn, praying to the gods to make Nine-Lady look more favorably on me."
Chen Ping'an pointed at the hair in Zhong Kui's hands. "I mean this."
Zhong Kui rolled his eyes. "What else could it be? A wronged water ghost in the Burial River. It was probably attracted by your Yin Spirit. If it ate you, its cultivation would definitely skyrocket. I saw it poking its head out, and its face wasn't all rotten and ugly like most water ghosts; it was actually quite pretty and delicate. So I wanted to bargain with this female ghost, get her to come out and chat with me."
Because Zhong Kui hadn't sent his Yin Spirit or Yang Spirit on a distant journey tonight, his vast Confucian righteousness energy freely leaked out. Tonight, just like usual at the inn, he deliberately concealed his aura. Therefore, the water ghosts at the bottom of the river didn't, like that other night, sink to the deepest part, shivering uncontrollably. Otherwise, even if Zhong Kui just got close to the Water God Temple, the Burial River water ghosts would probably have been utterly destroyed.
The murderous autumn wind bottled up inside Zhong Kui's sleeves didn't care whether you were a wrongly drowned water ghost or a malignant spirit getting its just deserts.
Chen Ping'an looked at the female ghost's black hair in Zhong Kui's hands, then at Zhong Kui who was engaged in a tug-of-war with the ghost.
Chen Ping'an asked, "Is it fun?"
Zhong Kui nodded.
Chen Ping'an turned his head to look at the distant Water God Temple.
Zhong Kui released the hair in his hand. The shadow beneath the river surface, as if receiving a pardon, vanished in a flash.
Zhong Kui stood up, reached out, and placed his hand on the shoulder of Chen Ping'an's Yin Spirit. "Look closely, and you'll see if it's fun or not."
The two of them abruptly plunged into the river water.
A Yin Spirit on a night stroll sees everything in the mortal world as bright as day.
Even in the river water, his vision was completely unobstructed at a glance, his eyesight matching the martial arts cultivation of Chen Ping'an's physical body.
Chen Ping'an had seen countless ghosts and monsters, but this was the first time he felt... disgusted.
Not far away were the Water God Temple and the bustle of lantern-lit commoners.
Yet, right here, at the bottom of the Burial River, all around Chen Ping'an and Zhong Kui, "stood" a dense throng of water ghosts. They were completely still, most dressed in pure white clothes, their jet-black hair covering their faces, falling straight down to their waists. They resembled reserved noble ladies going out on the street, wearing a type of veiled hat commonly known as a virgin's hat.
Not only that, but Chen Ping'an looked down and saw a pair of lantern-sized, silvery-white eyes, icy and strange, staring intently at them, though he couldn't make out its body.
They were at least a li apart, yet those eyes were still so enormous. One could imagine how colossal this creature must be up close.
Zhong Kui laughed. "They and the water ghosts were all attracted by you, but they didn't dare take a bite. Firstly, although your Yin Spirit is just a fledgling form, it's still somewhat unusual, so they didn't dare act rashly. But they were salivating just looking at you. Secondly, they harbored ulterior motives, hoping you would alert that demon at the bottom of the river, trigger a fight, and they could grab a share of the spoils. But you just stopped here by the Water God Temple and didn't move again. That demon below is probably furious, not daring to make a move, since the Bìyóu Manor of the Burial River Water God goddess isn't too far from here."
Since he was here, he might as well take it as it comes.
Chen Ping'an looked around, treating it as sightseeing.
Zhong Kui was also looking around, shouting, "Miss Water Ghost, the pretty one from before, are you still there? If you don't want to be a water ghost anymore, I can kill you with one slap. Whether you can reincarnate, I can't guarantee, but getting you free from that demon's control at the bottom of the river, so you don't have to help it harm people anymore, that's easy."
The pair of lantern eyes grew slightly larger.
Chen Ping'an squinted instinctively.
It was like when he was a child, crouching by the paddy field to catch eels, and accidentally saw one slithering out, head and body moving slowly.
This Burial River demon, roughly estimated, was even larger than the black and white serpent pythons from Chess Mound Mountain.
Chen Ping'an asked, "The Burial River Water God doesn't control it?"
Zhong Kui laughed. "Control it? How? This hot-tempered Water God goddess who rarely shows her face has actually tried to fight this demon many times. Three times she has seriously damaged her own golden body. Almost every thirty or forty years, she has to teach this creature a lesson. Once every hundred years or so, there's a real life-or-death struggle. In the worst case, the golden statue in the Water God Temple developed cracks, and the Bìyóu Manor was more than half submerged."
Chen Ping'an was even more puzzled. "The imperial court doesn't do its best to wipe it out? If the Great Spring court can't, what about your academy?"
Zhong Kui put his hands behind his head. "Things aren't that simple. This water demon has survived until today not only because of its cultivation but also because of its brains. Besides, central Parasol Leaf Continent is huge, the Grand Vault Academy only has so many people, and those who can actually kill this creature are even fewer. Scholars in the academy have to cultivate their character, read books, and do research every day. They're very busy, trying to become worthy men, gentlemen, sages, even the Great Sages who get statues in that Confucian Temple in the Central Continent. They have even more things to do besides reading. Besides, the Great Spring Dynasty already has a gentleman stationed there."
Chen Ping'an nodded, understanding in his heart.
His journey to the Lotus Pod Blessed Land had shown him all aspects of the human world.
He only needed Zhong Kui to mention that a Confucian gentleman had long been stationed in the Great Spring Dynasty, and Chen Ping'an grasped the situation immediately. It was probably also a matter of factional disputes, existing even within the academy.
But then Zhong Kui opened Chen Ping'an's eyes wide. Pointing at the pair of lantern eyes at the river bottom, he said, "Try glaring at me again, will you? Believe it or not, I'll skin you alive and send you as a congratulatory gift to the Burial River Water God!"
The water demon slowly retreated.
The water ghosts dispersed as well.
Chen Ping'an asked, "Congratulatory gift?"
Zhong Kui nodded. "The reason I came here is because I received news that the Bìyóu Manor on the Burial River is to be elevated to the Bìyóu Palace. The Great Spring Liu Clan made this decision, and our academy has tacitly approved it. Actually, originally, the Great Spring Dynasty wasn't qualified to confer the title of 'Palace'. I suspect it's a remedial measure by the gentleman in Mirage City."
For a river god to obtain the word "orthodoxy," it must first receive imperial recognition. The monarch issues a decree of enfeoffment. The Ministry of Rites bestows a golden book and jade document, a silver talisman and iron contract. The god's name is entered into the national genealogy. Only then can the god establish a shrine, cast a golden body, and receive the incense offerings of the mortal world. At the same time, the god must also obtain the nod of approval from the nearby Confucian academy on the continent. Otherwise, even if it is an official state temple, it is still considered a heterodox shrine on the continent. Some minor local water god temples might not care, but major water god temples would consider their Dao path incomplete and would earnestly beg the emperor to request a sacred scripture from the Confucian Academy. They would then enshrine it, sharing the incense offerings with it.
As for which sage's work the Confucian book would be, it could be decided case by case. Generally, the academy would choose. However, there were a very few stubborn water gods who would explicitly demand a specific work from a specific sage.
But such cases were extremely rare. In a thousand years on the Parasol Leaf Continent, how many water gods could be so stubborn as to go against the seventy-two Confucian Academies of the Haoran World?
Zhong Kui didn't tell Chen Ping'an the whole truth. The reason he was joining in the fun, temporarily leaving Fox Village, was that the notoriously hot-tempered Water God goddess of Bìyóu Manor was not flattered by the impending promotion from manor to palace. Instead of being grateful to the Great Spring Liu Clan and Grand Vault Academy, she declared that she wanted a specific sage's book to preside over the Water God Palace. Otherwise, she would just keep hanging the signboard that read "Bìyóu Manor."
And that sage's book currently had nothing to do with "sages" at all anymore.
This was what most infuriated the Great Spring Liu Clan.
Because that book was from the hand of the former Sage Wen Sheng.
When Zhong Kui heard it was such a farce, he felt that this trip to Bìyóu Manor was absolutely necessary.
He just hadn't expected to run into Chen Ping'an, whose Yin Spirit had wandered so far from home.