Chapter 937: I Am the Host (Seven)
At the Fen River God Shrine, Chen Ping'an and Qingtong had different focuses in their view of the scenery, so they each looked at their own, taking turns.
By the time Qingtong had finished touring the various halls and pavilions, he found that Chen Ping'an was no longer inside this river god temple.
Walking out of the temple gate, Qingtong saw a figure in a blue shirt sitting on a small bamboo chair in the willow shade beside the large pond, beginning to cast a fishing line.
Qingtong walked over and asked, "Is there another bamboo chair?"
Chen Ping'an raised a finger to his lips, signaling for him to be quiet, then twisted his wrist, producing another small green bamboo chair and handing it to Qingtong.
Qingtong sat down beside him, lowering his voice and asking in confusion, "What is this?"
Chen Ping'an smiled slightly. "Awaiting the right time."
Seeing Qingtong's bewilderment, Chen Ping'an lifted his chin slightly and reminded him, "Temporarily make a water contemplation."
Qingtong then focused his gaze on the water's surface. The pond water was like a mirror, and in the mirror appeared a dilapidated mansion. Within the scroll, shadows of people flickered.
It was a rather unremarkable Earth Immortal technique, the divine ability of "Controlling the Landscape with One's Palm."
After parting from the child in the village, the young Daoist, whose robe was bulging, rose into the air and hovered, standing on tiptoe to peer toward the city. He let out a surprised "Eh." Some filthy baleful aura and signs of immortals fighting? Could it be a haunted mansion? Didn't they know that today, this poor Daoist was called Xu Wugui? Fine, fine, if you can negotiate properly, we'll keep to our own boundaries. But if you won't even lend me a kitchen, don't blame me for acting on behalf of Heaven for once.
Lu Chen turned his head to look at the child surnamed Ye. In the future, when he went to the Shengao Sect, perhaps he could be companions with that little Daoist child named A'you from the Qiuhao Observatory. They could cultivate and grow together, and if they spent enough time together, they would become friends.
Two moons make "peng" (friend). In this Haoran World, where there is only a single bright moon, how rare it was. So one should cherish true friends all the more.
Lu Chen took a step and directly arrived at the street outside a notorious haunted mansion. He pinched his fingers and learned that the nearby area was called Wuzhen Ward. The mansion had once been a Lord Lü Shrine, with vermillion gates now covered in cobwebs. This place had long since severed its incense offerings. Historically, it had been dismantled and rebuilt as a private residence. Afterward, it had suffered repeated misfortunes, with many ghosts causing trouble. Eventually, most of the beams and wood were moved to the Fen River God Shrine outside the city. Only one stone lion remained at the gate, with a series of fine pits around its neck, like imprints of beads.
This place was actually the former site of the shrine dedicated to that Pure Yang Daoist. It was an unexpected but reasonable thing.
Lu Chen sighed. "Brother Pure Yang, oh Brother Pure Yang. So it turns out that back then in the Jade Capital, we were both fellow townsfolk meeting in a foreign land. Now you've been away from your hometown in Haoran for a long time. It's not easy to have a shrine, but it has fallen to this state. Well, let this poor Daoist do his meager part today and add a bit of incense aura to your shrine."
He just didn't know where this Lü Yan was now. There had been no news of Lü Yan from the Qingming World for a long time.
Lu Chen took a talisman made of imperial seal material from his sleeve, silently chanting, "Heaven spirits, earth spirits, immortals appear, I'll do," then stepped back a few paces. He made a gesture of sinking his energy into his elixir field, let out a soft shout, and ran forward briskly. He leaped high on the tips of his toes, but only managed to step onto the top of the wall. He wobbled several times, failing to steady himself, and fell backward, landing back on the street. Fortunately, the street was deserted at the moment, so no one saw this comical scene.
The young Daoist, holding the yellow talisman, tried twice more. Finally, he managed to squat on the wall top. After getting up, he hunched over and crept along the wall, stepping cautiously. He climbed over a ridge and craned his neck, witnessing a deadly and dangerous battle. A group of rogue cultivators, seemingly from the same sect, were displaying their divine abilities, locked in combat with a woman in a red dress whose face was deathly pale. A section of rope could be faintly seen around her neck—she was likely a hanged ghost. She shrieked fiercely, and black smoke billowed, but was dispersed one by one by the high-level techniques of the immortal lords who had come to slay demons and vanquish evil. Overall, the battle was evenly matched: one side unleashed Dao techniques and immortal arts, the other responded with ghostly tricks. It was a spectacular display, a true match of equals.
Lu Chen sat quietly on the ridge, shifting his gaze. In the back courtyard, there was a peony bush, transplanted from elsewhere. It had gone through several dynasties, refined its form, and had a considerable Dao age. It was probably the half-owner of this place. It led a group of wronged ghosts, terrorizing living people, and occupied this large mansion. It seemed they hadn't committed any heinous acts, at most tricking young drunkards and night watchmen who didn't return home at night, putting them under a spell, bringing them here for carnal pleasures, stealing some yang qi, and then throwing them out of the mansion at dawn.
No wonder the water god at the Fen River God Shrine turned a blind eye to everything happening in this mansion, which had a significant history. First, they hadn't done anything too heinous against Heaven's principles. Second, if they wanted to suppress this "haunted mansion," they would have to mobilize troops and generals. If the two sides completely fell out and fought with full force, at the very least, this county town would likely be destroyed. Moreover, given the abilities of the nearby city god temple and the mountain and river spirits, as well as the troops under their command, if they really tried to confront this, they would probably come in a rage to punish and return in disgrace.
The two sides in the courtyard, humans and ghosts, were locked in magical combat. One sharp-eyed person spotted the furtive young Daoist on the ridge and immediately cursed, "That little Daoist brat, how dare you come here to steal business from your grandpa?! Get out of here quick!"
The young Daoist, full of righteousness, declared with great conviction, "Since ancient times, slaying demons and vanquishing evil has been something a Daoist sees and shares. Besides, this poor Daoist is naturally born with an iron will and a chivalrous heart..."
The man shouted, "Shut up!"
A dart flew out from his sleeve, swift as a shooting star. However, the tail of the dart struck the long-winded Daoist's forehead. With a cry of pain, the young Daoist was hit, tumbled backward, and rolled off the ridge, disappearing from sight.
The female ghost with the rope around her neck in the courtyard repeated the same few ghost techniques. But her opponents were numerous, and those cultivators were men, full of yang qi. Gathered together, their aura was quite imposing, so she gradually fell into a disadvantage. She immediately turned her head and shouted, "Sister, come and help me!"
Soon, another plume of green smoke drifted over, condensing into the form of a female ghost, also a woman. Her hair was loose and unbound, floating like waterweeds. She was probably a poor soul who had drowned.
Lu Chen had already found the kitchen. He kicked open the door, preparing to light a fire and cook. A person shouldn't be too hard on themselves. This poor Daoist had to have a hearty New Year's Eve dinner here before going to the Qingming World. The Jade Capital didn't have such customs—too much immortal aura, too little human flavor. Seeing that the chopping board and other utensils were all present, Lu Chen took out a fire striker from his sleeve, found the bamboo tube for blowing fire, sat down on a stool, and muttered, "It's still broad daylight. By dusk, the true master of this haunted mansion hasn't even appeared yet. If you don't have this poor Daoist to help, how are you going to fight? Even if you kneel on the ground and call for help, it'll depend on whether this poor Daoist has eaten enough and has the strength."
Lu Chen had taken a winding path. On his way here, he noticed two large locust trees in the back courtyard with dense shade, blocking out the sky. Not far from the kitchen, there was a small building overgrown with grass a foot high. Inside were several coffins, all open, containing dry bones with no burial place. Lu Chen wasn't bothered by these things anyway; otherwise, among the Seven Hearts of the Third Teaching Lord, how could there be a White Bone True Person?
Someone leaned against the kitchen door. It was a delicate girl with rosy cheeks and a charming posture.
The girl licked her crimson lips, lightly clapped her hands, and let out a "Hey" to alert the young Daoist that someone was coming. Then she narrowed her eyes and smiled. "You, little Daoist master, are you truly skilled and bold, daring to come here to light a fire and cook? They say if you want to die, you should find a good place. What are you thinking? Have you read too many of those fraudulent supernatural tales and erotic stories, hoping for a romantic encounter?"
"This young lady came so stealthily, you almost scared me to death. They say scaring someone to death isn't even punishable by law. Luckily for me, I have immortal arts to protect me, and I'm brave."
Lu Chen spoke cheerfully. Sitting on the small stool, he turned around, raised the bamboo tube in his hand, and pointed at the yellow talisman stuck on the kitchen door. He looked at the peony-spirited girl. She had opened her aperture and refined her form, relying on a stroke of luck and her own eight or nine hundred years of Dao cultivation. She was invincible in the nearby counties and prefectures. She didn't abuse her power here, just helped those female ghosts prolong their lives. And even then, she left some leeway. Otherwise, those few female ghost sisters only needed to be a little ruthless—one mouthful, or a few more twists of their hips—and those strong young men who had indulged here would be left with empty shells and scattered yang qi, doomed even if thrown out of the haunted mansion.
The girl reached out to tear off the talisman, which seemed of ordinary material. But as soon as her fingertip touched the talisman, she felt a piercing burning sensation. She shuddered and immediately withdrew her hand. Weighing the situation, adhering to the principle of "caution keeps the boat sailing for ten thousand years," she smiled charmingly and said, "As long as you don't meddle today, you're free to come and go. Those people in the courtyard, I didn't provoke them. They broke into my dojo looking for trouble. They're clearly not the type to let things go. Since they're all in a hurry to reincarnate, they can't blame me for going with the flow and sending them on their way."
Seeing this, the young Daoist was full of pride and laughed heartily. "How about that? Now you know the power, right? This talisman is my signature technique! One of them! So, are you scared or not?"
The girl curled her lips. "May I ask this immortal master's name and Dao age?"
The young Daoist looked disgusted. "Don't you know the rules? Monks don't speak names, and Daoists don't speak ages. But since you called me 'Immortal Master,' I can reveal a little bit of Heaven's secrets for you."
The girl nodded. "I'm all ears."
The young Daoist coughed a few times to clear his throat, then straightened his back and declared loudly, "The universe is vast, I have no name; a carefree man in the mortal world. Steel-boned, truly a hero; a scattered, wild nature, solitary. I've only lived on high mountain peaks, breakfasting on rosy clouds and supping on dew, my spirit clear and refreshed, most upright. A hundred years of facing the wall, unknown to all; in the golden crow's fire, I spin the golden elixir. The golden elixir formed, I raise the furnace tripod; refining the yang spirit, I roam the Jade Capital. Learning immortality until I reach the infant state; the moon is bright in the cold pond's stillness. Breathing in the sky's heart at the sea's bottom; soaring straight up to visit the Heavenly Court. I've forgotten how many thousands of years I've been on the path; the green bird in the sky, the clouds in the air, can be bound; the flood dragon at the wave's bottom, the moon in the water, can be caught. In the end, drawing water with a bamboo basket, glory and decay are but a dream, ants in the locust tree..."
The girl started listening intently, but soon yawned and raised her hand to cover her mouth. He was just telling a story here.
But your words, so flowery and sour, don't seem to rhyme very well.
The young Daoist seemed to read her thoughts and said shamelessly, "As long as you get the meaning, that's what counts. This is called 'getting the meaning and forgetting the words.' As for rhyming, it's very secondary, quite trivial."
The girl suddenly changed her expression, looking fierce. "I've changed my mind. At first, I just found you annoying to look at. Now I find you even more annoying to listen to. No more guests. Leave this place immediately!"
"Don't change your mind! This poor Daoist's surname is Xu, given name Wugui. As for a Daoist title, I've been in the mountains for too short a time, and my experience outside is limited. I haven't yet accumulated three thousand merits, so for now, I have no Daoist title."
The young Daoist also grew anxious. "Besides, my lineage has a rule: speak of the ancestor, not the teacher. So if you ask about my teacher and my Dao lineage, I'm afraid I can't tell you."
When the girl heard this, she restrained her anger and just sneered. "So, your teacher isn't much, then. You can't even use his name to scare people."
The young Daoist seemed to fly into a rage out of humiliation. "Can't scare people? I could scare ghosts to death!"
The girl glanced at his Daoist crown and waved her hand. "Go on, go on. Don't join in the fun here. If it weren't for the sake of a past Daoist connection, today you'd at least come in standing and go out horizontal. I'd make sure you remember that since your Dao techniques are meager and your spells are weak, don't think that just because you have some sect backing, you can do anything without restrictions. There are always people better than you. You're in for a hard lesson."
The girl's eyes sparkled. She pointed at the young Daoist's crown with one hand and covered her mouth with the other, tittering. "Little Daoist, you're still playing dumb with me, pretending to be a master. What, were you thinking that when you couldn't fight, you'd quickly bring up your sect to intimidate me? But do you know, your patriarch and I were old flames."
"Old flames?!"
The handsome Daoist, with red lips and white teeth, looked as if struck by lightning. His eyes went vacant as he muttered, "How come I don't know?!"
"How would you know? It's an old story from hundreds of years ago. When you leave here and go back to your mountain temple, if you're interested, look through the genealogies. See if there's a man named Qian Tongxuan, Daoist title 'Dragon Tail Hermit.' That's him. He was heartless, a coward with a thief's heart but not the guts. He despised my improper background, didn't dare to bring me back to the mountain. So what if I was born from plants and trees? Even the Celestial Master's Mansion at Dragon Tiger Mountain on the Central Divine Continent has a Fox Immortal Hall. Her background is even worse than mine."
The girl's eyes were profound. She finished her grievance and seemed somewhat despondent. She waved her hand. "Alright, alright. I've known for a long time that you're from that lofty Shengao Sect. Otherwise, you wouldn't be wearing that kind of Daoist crown. Your identity as a Daoist is of course real. But I'm not one of those ignorant wild spirits. I know that you Daoists of this lineage aren't the orthodox kind there. You're not the same kind of Daoist as that Lord Qi Tian. Your incense offerings are pitifully sparse. Your situation in the Shengao Sect gets worse every year. You've long been reduced to surviving by selling private monastic licenses."
The young Daoist also sighed. "You've hit the nail on the head, miss. It's indeed been getting worse every year."
The girl said, "Still not leaving? Do you really think that shabby talisman on the door can stop me?"
Lu Chen smiled. "As the old saying goes, helping others is helping yourself. When you're out and about, you rely on friends. I'm just borrowing a place to eat a New Year's Eve dinner. Maybe I can help you avoid a calamity."
At this point, Lu Chen chuckled. "That 'old saying' and the 'common saying'—no matter what comes after, we'd better listen to them."
The girl sneered. "Little Daoist, do you know what realm I'm in?"
Lu Chen looked shocked. "Could you be a Nascent Soul old immortal who has hidden his brilliance and concealed his cultivation?"
The girl was momentarily furious because she was a Golden Core Earth Immortal.
But the river god at the Fen River God Shrine outside the city, as well as the county's city god temple, had only mistaken her for a Perceiving Realm plant spirit. Hence, she had always been unknown.
It was mainly because there were two mountain immortal mansions in the Mengliang Kingdom that she feared greatly. If it weren't for a hidden life-saving talisman, she would have long been taken into the mountains and imprisoned.
In this "haunted mansion," there were naturally female ghosts, but the true suppressed evil was actually an old Golden Core ghost. Besides having extremely high Dao cultivation, it was also extremely treacherous. In the early years, it had secretly plotted, through the hands of mortal officials, to dismantle the Lord Lü Shrine, occupying this feng shui treasure land as its dojo, hoping to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. It even deliberately transplanted a peony here, using its fragrance to cover its own filthy and stinking baleful aura. That heartless man named Qian Tongxuan had stopped here precisely because he discovered something was wrong with the mansion. To subdue this malevolent ghost that was causing harm everywhere, he first laid down a large formation to prevent it from harming the innocent, then fought a fierce battle with the Golden Core ghost. He didn't hesitate to shatter two of his life-bound objects, damaging the foundation of his Dao, in order to seal the ghost in a secret chamber deep underground, using talismans to imprison it. He said that when he returned to the Shengao Sect, he would invite the elders to come and eradicate this scourge. But who would have thought that he would never return.
Over the years, almost every few years, she would use a talisman technique she had learned from the Daoist and add a talisman to the door of the secret chamber deep underground. Layer upon layer, old talismans would dissipate, and new ones would be pasted. Because the threshold for the talisman Dao was too high, she only had a little cultivation talent and hadn't received the true transmission, so she could only rely on quantity to win.
There was a time, under the moon and flowers.
The Milky Way turns in the sky, the pearl curtain hangs in the mortal world. Living on the mountain, I don't count the years. Appreciating flowers is to be an immortal.
The speaker only said it in passing, but the listener had to engrave it in their heart.
Lu Chen hugged the bamboo tube for blowing fire, his eyes softening a little. He smiled and said, "The commotion outside is not small. Those rogue cultivators came this time determined to succeed. You sensed it too, right? They've already used their trump card, capable of 'invoking spirits to descend.' Although they are two dying illicit temple spirits, dealing with your three female ghost sisters is obviously more than enough. Besides, you, a Golden Core, can you protect your true body and hold the door? I don't think so. It's very difficult, very difficult."
The girl's expression changed slightly, and she was about to go to the rescue.
Unexpectedly, the young Daoist just blew a breath, and the yellow talisman on the kitchen door fluttered down, landing precisely on the girl's shoulder.
The girl seemed to be pasted with a motion-restraining talisman. An esteemed Golden Core Earth Immortal, no matter how she circulated her golden core and controlled her spiritual energy, she could not move half a step.
Lu Chen pressed his face against the bamboo tube, looking at the anxious girl, and smiled. "What's the hurry? Just enjoy the show. I, this poor Daoist, don't have much, but I have many friends in the mountains. Coincidentally, one is here today."
Earlier, two causal threads had been pulled on him: one person, one matter, one thick, one thin. The latter was that child, and the former was an old friend.
This person wasn't traveling in a hurry originally, but now he had noticed the clue and had begun to travel here with lightning speed, riding the wind.
The girl stood motionless, powerless to do anything but watch as the young Daoist busied himself with preparing a New Year's Eve dinner. He was quick and skillful, like a Daoist temple cook.
A person shouldn't be too hard on themselves.
Two jugs of wine.
Three hard dishes: a pot of stewed old hen, a pot of winter bamboo shoots stewed with cured meat, and a large plate of steamed crabs.
The young Daoist also took a set of colorful flower-patterned nine-compartment dishes from his sleeve, but only filled them with lychees—not fresh lychees, but dried ones.
Bamboo shoots are the exquisite among vegetables, lychees among fruits, crabs among aquatic creatures, and wine among food and drink.
Four exquisites, all on the table.
Outside the Fen River God Shrine, by the pond, Chen Ping'an had not caught any fish.
Qingtong looked at the scroll in the water and said in surprise, "It's him?"
Logically, this person should absolutely not be showing up here.
No wonder Vice Sect Leader Lu was rushing over here. He was here to catch up.
Chen Ping'an smiled. "You know him too?"
Qingtong said somewhat exasperatedly, "This person is both Sui Youbian's teaching master and her martial arts instructor. How could I not recognize him?"
Moreover, this person was also the "Lu Sheng" who had once walked on the left side of Handan Road and was opportunely enlightened by the Pure Yang Daoist.
Chen Ping'an asked, "Do you know what he was plotting by staying incognito in the Cloud Grotto Blessed Land for so many years after leaving the Lotus Flower Blessed Land?"
Qingtong shook his head. "Matters related to the old temple master, I dare not say much."
Chen Ping'an then changed his approach. "Regarding the incense transmission of the Daoist Louguan Sect, and the founding patriarch, commandery, and migration distribution of the surname 'Shao,' do you have any records or books on hand?"
Qingtong said, "I really don't."
The Dao lineage of the Golden Summit Temple originated from the Daoist Louguan Sect. There was once a Daoist who built a thatched tower on the ancient land of Zhaoting to observe the stars and examine the qi.
And the first guardian of the Louguan Sect happened to be surnamed Shao.
This guardian's position was similar to the head of a Buddhist temple today, second only to the abbot.
Cui Dongshan initially speculated that Ni Yuanzan was hiding in Cloud Grotto Blessed Land to give that golden core to Sui Youbian, one of his former direct disciples.
If that were the case, among the four people in the scroll back then, Sui Youbian had abandoned her martial arts future and insisted on learning swordsmanship as soon as she arrived in the Haoran World. That would have made sense.
But the facts proved otherwise. Sui Youbian was not the one the old temple master had destined to receive the golden core.
Later, Jiang Shangzhen mistakenly believed that Ni Yuanzan intended to give this golden core to the Northern Golden Summit Temple, which had a deep connection with the old temple master. He decided to intervene, even directly threatening the old boatman: if Shao Yuanran dared to come to Yellow Crane Jetty to take the golden core, he, Jiang Shangzhen, would make that young imperial tutor of the Daquan Dynasty die right under Ni Yuanzan's nose. But if the old boatman dared to deliver the golden core, he would ensure that Shao Yuanran would successfully form a first-rank golden core, complete a flawless body of merits, but just happen to die before he could break through to the Nascent Soul stage.
Chen Ping'an smiled and asked, "About the former owner of that golden core, Fellow Daoist Qingtong, you can at least talk about that, right?"
Qingtong hesitated for a moment, carefully wording, selecting a few old stories he could tell, and slowly said, "This fellow Daoist's true form was the first crane in heaven and earth. I heard he was a grand cultivator who was only half a step away from the fourteenth realm. Before his fall, to be precise, before his seclusion, he made a trip to the Falling Treasure Shoal of the Azure Sky Cavern. After his seclusion failed, he left behind a complete golden core. The old temple master seemed to be keeping it in trust."
This was something Qingtong only said because of "Mr. Zheng." He was willing to reveal a few more inside stories that couldn't be bought with money.
Chen Ping'an corrected him. "It might be more accurate to say he was 'guarding' it."
Because this ancient remnant golden core was not in the old temple master's possession. It was located in the cliff walls of Yellow Crane Jetty in Cloud Grotto Blessed Land, separated from a Guan Dao Temple by half a continent, quite far away.
And this golden core could be entirely regarded as a heavy treasure of the immortal soldier rank in the mountain world, and among immortal soldiers, it belonged to an extremely rare category.
It was like the Dharma robe "Golden Nectar" that Chen Ping'an had obtained from Dragon Trench back then, which was outstanding among semi-immortal soldiers. And there was the "Infatuated Sword" that Chen Ping'an later lent to Sui Youbian, which stood out prominently among magical treasures.
The root of all this lay in the word "growth."
It could be continuously tempered and thus its rank could be upgraded. It was like a person cultivating the Dao, breaking through realms one by one.
Thinking of this, Chen Ping'an suddenly said, "It seems that if you reverse the order of the two characters 'longevity' and 'growth,' you get 'growth.'"
But Qingtong found these empty and grandiose words the most headache-inducing. If he thought about them, he would surely not be able to figure out the essence. If he didn't think about them, he seemed to be missing something.
The quality of a cultivator's golden core largely determined the Dao achievements of an Earth Immortal.
It was similar to the common saying "three years old shows the old man."
Of course, it wasn't absolute. There were always exceptions, but the reason a common truth was a common truth was simply that there were rarely exceptions.
Just like Chen Ping'an himself. In the past, he had always been underestimated because his destiny porcelain was shattered, and he was "seen as dead early."
Yet he still managed to reach where he was today.
Chen Ping'an asked, "Why did Jiang Shangzhen 'borrow a sword' from Ni Yuanzan?"
In Cloud Grotto Blessed Land, Jiang Shangzhen once said, "I wish to borrow your sword today, to spit out light when the sky is dark and the earth dim." But Ni Yuanzan denied this, and his expression didn't seem fake.
According to Jiang Shangzhen, the reason he had wasted sixty years in the Lotus Flower Blessed Land was to help Lu Fang make it into the world's top ten in the sixty-year assessment, preferably with a high ranking. Then he could let his close friend Lu Fang conveniently obtain a suitable weapon.
Qingtong was silent.
This matter really couldn't be spoken of.
Once the celestial secret was revealed, Qingtong feared that the old temple master would settle old scores. The Azure Sky Cavern Master's pettiness and unforgiving nature were once universally acknowledged.
Chen Ping'an thought of Jiang Shangzhen's evaluation of Ni Yuanzan: "You, this person, are a sword." He couldn't help but smile. His own Chief Zhou was truly eloquent...
Qingtong was silent for a long time, probably also worried that the person beside him would hold a grudge. He tentatively said, "Later, when you see Lu Sheng, why don't you ask him yourself?"
Chen Ping'an said, "What's so hard to guess? In the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, Ni Yuanzan could actually be considered half a Qi refiner. He opened up a new path, which was 'using the body to forge a sword.'"
Jiang Shangzhen had said that Ni Yuanzan was proficient in the doctrines of the three teachings and had read countless books. However, the Dao suppression of the Lotus Flower Blessed Land only allowed a clear Dao heart to take shape. In the end, the old temple master "invited him out" of the blessed land.
Moreover, Lu Chen had also revealed a celestial secret, mentioning the path of enlightenment of the female Daoist Wuzhou.
Qingtong was deeply impressed. Truly worthy of Bai Di Cheng's Zheng Juzhong. He dared to think, and he could think. No wonder he was tangled up in the absurd question of "Am I the Dao Ancestor?"
Qingtong asked, "I heard that fishermen who like this pastime also have the custom of 'baiting the spot' beforehand?"
Chen Ping'an hummed in agreement. "Generally, it's for catching big fish. But baiting a spot in turbulent rapids isn't a problem either. Just find a pile of rocks; it can gather the fish."
Qingtong tentatively asked, "Is there any deeper meaning to this saying?"
Chen Ping'an said, "For you, there is no deeper meaning. If it were Lu Chen or Ni Yuanzan who heard it, they would probably feel a sense of empathy."
Qingtong didn't refute that.
Then Chen Ping'an lifted his rod again to scatter the bait and recast his line into the water.
Over at the former site of the Lord Lü Shrine, within the courtyard, clouds and mist suddenly rose. The three female ghosts were instantly plunged into a vast white fog. They looked around but couldn't see their hands in front of their faces. Looking up, although it wasn't yet dusk, a bright moon hung in the sky. Faintly, they could hear the sound of a night watchman's clapper and what seemed like soldiers on night patrol. In the next moment, their vision suddenly cleared, revealing a deep-water bridge. At the end of the bridge was a vermillion-gated, high-ranking mansion. One hall was towering, two corridors were densely lined. The stone lion outside the gate looked furious and terrifying. There was also a team of armored soldiers arrayed under the corridor, their frosty halberds exuding cold. Two officials in purple robes, one tall and gaunt, the other plump and slightly bearded, wearing jade belts, stepped out of the hall together, swaggering down the steps.
Far behind the three female ghosts stood the group of wilderness rogue cultivators. Among them, an old man in brocade clothes cupped his hands toward the two illicit temple spirits from a distance and said with a smile, "I'll trouble the two great immortals to make a move."
In the past, the Great Li court had dismantled countless illicit temples in one continent. Some of the spirits that obeyed and had clear backgrounds were often reassigned. But there were still some who refused to submit, especially those with improper origins that couldn't withstand the scrutiny and investigation of the Great Li Ministry of Rites and Ministry of Justice. They had to abandon their temples and statues, each finding their own way to survive in hiding. Although they lost their foundations, not only did their golden bodies waver, but they also shrank significantly. Still, it was better than having the officials of the Great Li Ministry of Rites and Ministry of Justice and the accompanying military cultivators dig up their old accounts and smash their golden bodies on the spot. Moreover, even if they became wandering souls, as long as they could rebuild temples in remote areas of these vassal states and receive incense offerings, they could piece together their golden bodies again. Now, the Great Li court only had half of its former territory, with the great river as the boundary. The entire southern part of Bottle Gourd Continent had been restored to independent states. In places like the Mengliang Kingdom and the Qingluan Kingdom, they dared not stay long, but there were always other places to shelter themselves.
For wilderness rogue cultivators who started by killing and robbing, there was a crucial threshold: taking on disciples, naturally true disciples. "Teach the apprentice and starve the master"? Or even "the apprentice might kill the master"? They had to avoid teaching everything, keep their trump cards secret, never pass on their ultimate techniques, and not let their disciples learn everything. Also, they made their disciples swear heart-oaths and used secret techniques to control them. Otherwise, without a few helpers, they would be isolated and hard to make big money.
This was why it was easy for registered cultivators to become wilderness rogue cultivators, but it was very difficult for wilderness rogue cultivators to become registered immortal masters.
That old man in brocade clothes wasn't of a high realm, just a Perceiving Realm cultivator. But he was resourceful and quickly ingratiated himself with these two illicit temple "great immortals," whose true forms were a snake and a jackal.
They were a perfect match.
The two illicit temple great immortals needed this Qi refiner to help them travel over mountains and rivers, searching for a new dojo while avoiding civil and military temples, city god temples, and the orthodox mountain and river gods enfeoffed by various courts. In return, the two great immortals would help the group of wilderness rogue cultivators resolve some minor problems. As in today's situation, they were happy to act. Catching ghosts and then eating them would help the two great immortals increase their Dao cultivation and refine their golden bodies.
The tall, gaunt great immortal walked onto the long bridge, stopped, and said in a deep voice, "Whoever dares to disobey will be taken to Fengdu City."
The plump great immortal beside him shouted like a thunderclap, "Petty ghosts! Full of evil deeds! Surrender immediately and kneel and kowtow!"
A hanged ghost and a drowned ghost had already lost their beauty. The last female ghost to appear had relatively higher Dao cultivation and a tougher temperament. Knowing full well that the other party were illicit temple spirits, she still sneered and said, "People like you are even more unsavoury. Whether the city god of this county learns of it or the Fen River God Shrine notices, none of you will leave this place alive."
But she couldn't help feeling bitter. If this Mengliang Kingdom were still part of the Great Li Dynasty, these wandering illicit temple spirits would never dare to show themselves!
The old man in brocade clothes had his hands behind his back, looking composed, and said with a smile, "That's why we set up a formation at the gate to cover our tracks. You all were too arrogant, looking down on my Perceiving Realm, and didn't stop us earlier. Now it's too late. As for the true master of this house, we've spied out their strength. At best, they're a Dragon Gate Realm, a peony spirit. Am I right? Do they dare to come rescue you?"
Just then, an old man in a Confucian scholar's robe walked into this ancient mansion, the former site of the Lord Lü Shrine. He frowned slightly and casually dispersed the clouds and mist.
As for the three female ghosts, the group of wilderness rogue cultivators, and the two illicit temple spirits, the old man pretended not to see them, strolling about as if sightseeing.
In the main hall of the original Lord Lü Immortal Shrine, the statue of Lord Lü and the painted attendant deities were long gone.
One could only faintly see from the main hall's Xieshan-style glazed roof that its original rank wasn't low. There had originally been a plaque with the emperor's personal inscription, "Wind and Thunder Palace," hanging in the hall. But it hadn't hung there for many years. When the dynasty changed, it was naturally removed. After a difficult journey from shrine to palace, it was demoted back to its original form, and in the end, even the original shrine couldn't be maintained. Only an Eight Trigrams Pavilion and a "Dream" stele outside the pavilion remained, barely preserving the original appearance, as if they were dependent on each other.
That "Dream" stele actually contained hidden secrets. Carved inside the hollow were poetic verses resembling Daoist formulas. Even if someone with sharp eyes discovered them, it would be hard to understand at first glance, and even harder after a second look.
How to interpret the opening line, "From death comes life, one body alone. Who knows which is false and which is true?"
Finally, the old man returned to the main hall of the old Lord Lü Shrine. From his sleeve, he took out three sticks of incense.
Holding the incense, he bowed three times, paying respects to the Pure Yang Daoist who had once shown him the way and granted him the grace of transmitting the Dao.
The two groups of people, who had been at odds, dared not even ask a single question, let alone make a move.
An old man who could disregard the formation outside the gate and the mist barrier—who would dare to provoke him?
In the kitchen, Lu Chen lightly shook his head.
The great river flows east; the setting sun descends in the west; the wanderer comes from the south.
The flowers in the temple remain; the true person asks, for whom do they bloom?
The girl at the door was still standing where she was, neither begging for mercy nor...
Earlier, a table and two long benches seemed to... no, not seemed, they had grown legs and wobbled over from somewhere to the kitchen.
Lu Chen sat down, poured himself a bowl of wine, filled a large bowl of rice, picked up a piece of winter bamboo shoot, and exclaimed, "Excellent flavor. Absolutely superb."
The old man in the Confucian scholar's robe didn't bother to look at the two groups of people. He spoke as if giving orders, "All of you stay put and await judgment."
The Pure Yang Daoist, Lü Yan, was his transmitter of the Dao. Although they didn't have a formal master-disciple relationship, the old scholar had always regarded Lü Yan as his teacher. So, the only Lord Lü Shrine in this world was, in a sense, the dojo of his teacher Lü Yan.
Afterward, he went to the door of the secret chamber deep underground, looking at the densely packed talisman seals on it.
The old scholar chuckled. Was this daubing talismans like a child's scrawl?
His form dissipated and recondensed without breaking the talisman prohibition, and he appeared inside the secret chamber.
The ghost, which had been having its Dao cultivation worn down by the talismans, slowly raised its head and grinned menacingly. "Seeking death?"
The old scholar asked, "Do you know how to write the phrase 'virtue not matching position'? A vile creature like you, not properly hiding away, yet daring to covet the Lord Lü Shrine for a long time?"
Without waiting for an answer, the old scholar had already lashed out with his sleeve, smashing the ghost into oblivion.
In the square, the illusion still held. It was still the temple scene with the great hall, the long bridge, and the forest of armored soldiers under the corridor. The plump great immortal in the purple official robe looked as if bereft, wailing, "Could it be a gentleman from the Guanhu Academy? Woe, woe to us! In that case, haven't we run headfirst into the blade of a knife?"
The tall, gaunt great immortal looked at the old man in brocade clothes and said through mental voice, furious, "This is all your fault!"
The three wronged female ghosts who had been haunting and causing mischief here felt far more relief than fear.
Falling into the hands of a Confucian gentleman, they would simply be punished according to the academy's rules. It was much better than being eaten by those two illicit temple great immortals, which would mean eternal damnation.
The old scholar arrived at the kitchen. He didn't look at the girl standing like a door god at the entrance, just stopped at the door.
Lu Chen quickly set down his chopsticks, turned his head, and cupped his hands in a bow. "Brother Xizhou, it's been years. Come, come, let's sit down and have a drink and a chat."
In both his lives in the Haoran World and the Lotus Flower Blessed Land, this man, full of the aura of scholarship, was surnamed Lu, and his courtesy name was Xizhou.
The painted boat carries parting sorrow, blowing dreams to Xizhou.
Outside the shrine, Qingtong felt that Chen Ping'an could sit here fishing forever, even aside from "waiting by the tree for Lu Chen."
So Qingtong couldn't help but ask, "Whether it's a cultivator or a pure martial artist, what's the point of learning from commoners to fish by the water?"
The key point was that Chen Ping'an still hadn't caught a single fish.
"For the temple priest of the Fen River God Shrine, this pond is just a pond."
Chen Ping'an held the rod with one hand and pointed at the pond with the other. "But for the old temple master and you, what is this pond? It is the Parasol Leaf Continent. So you don't care whether the few fish in it are big or small, alive or dead. The fish in the pond can't escape anyway. Even if there are grand cultivators who 'leap over the dragon gate,' they are like the fallen leaves of the locust tree at the temple gate. We believe that one day, the leaves will return to their roots."
Qingtong's headache began again. He immediately changed the subject, his eyes deep and profound. "These illicit temple spirits, wandering everywhere, how can they return to their roots?"
Chen Ping'an said, "Then what if you regard the entire world as a pond?"
Qingtong was speechless.
Chen Ping'an laughed and said, "Some questions don't need to be pondered too much. Just a taste is enough. Like the ancient poets' taboo against 'October coldness.'"
Qingtong did understand this poetic taboo of "October coldness." For a moment, he was quite delighted. Finally, he was no longer confused. It wasn't easy.
Chen Ping'an asked, "Ten thousand years ago, if there hadn't been that earth-shattering upheaval, what would your ultimate pursuit have been?"
Qingtong leaned back against the chair, took off his hat, and used it as a fan, gently waving it. He said, "I still wouldn't dare to hope of reaching the top of the Ascension Platform. Afraid of death. So many Earth Immortals with outstanding talent turned to ashes on that path, gone in an instant. Someone like me, with a poor background, finally managed to open my aperture and refine my form. Cultivation is so difficult, every step is a barrier. For other cultivators, it might be just one or two thoughts, but I have to ponder for hundreds of years. Naturally, I would cherish the hard-won opportunities more than Xiao Mo and Yang Zhi. I wouldn't dare to do a single bold deed, nor would I dare to act on any impulse."
"In that long era when Heaven and Earth were distinct, it seemed a saying had been passed down from the first 'Daoist': 'When the superior scholar hears the Dao, he diligently practices it.' This referred to the 'Ten Great Masters of the World' and the 'Daoists' not far behind them, such as the Grand Ancestor of the Tuo Yue Mountain, the Lord of the Azure Sky Cavern, the demon sword cultivator Bai Jing, Xiao Mo, the former owner of that golden core, and so on. 'When the middle scholar attains the Dao, he is promoted to a Heavenly Official and ranked among the Immortal Bureaucracy.' This referred to ascending the two Ascension Platforms—one for male Earth Immortals and one for female Earth Immortals—to become new gods of the ancient Heavenly Court. 'When the lower scholar attains the Dao, he becomes a Land Immortal, dwelling in his territory for many years.' This was the ultimate pursuit in my heart, as a dull-witted Qi refiner."
In ancient times, when Qi refiners cultivated and attained the Dao, among the many grand aspects of the Dao's "ascension," there were distinctions like the rank of a cultivator's golden core.
In the earliest days of "ascending in broad daylight," there were further divisions such as "riding on rosy clouds," "riding a dragon," "riding a phoenix," "riding a crane," and "transforming into a rainbow," more than a dozen kinds. Later, there were those who "ascended with their entire household," and others who "ascended with the whole house." Still later, there were Ghost Immortals who ascended in various forms during the night.
After saying this, Qingtong realized that Chen Ping'an seemed to have heard nothing, his state of mind as calm as an ancient well. Qingtong found it a bit dull. He stopped looking at the scroll, glanced at the empty fish basket on the shore, and asked, "Is it really that hard to catch fish? Is the bait wrong, or is your fishing skill poor?"
Chen Ping'an nodded with a smile. "I'm indeed not very good at fishing. In my life, I'm quite skilled at one thing: unless I'm starving to death, I won't take the bait."
Being in a river of time, it's hard not to be fished for by the people on the shore.
Qingtong asked again, "How did you determine that Vice Sect Leader Lu would definitely go to that Lord Lü Shrine site?"
Chen Ping'an looked indifferent and asked back, "The Lord Lü Shrine site? How do you know that?"
Qingtong was stunned. He thought over and over, but he still couldn't figure out why Chen Ping'an said that.
Behind them, the Fen River God Shrine still had that imperial "Wind and Thunder Palace" plaque hidden in the warehouse. Inside the city's haunted mansion, there was the Eight Trigrams Pavilion and the "Dream" stele, and the thousand-year-old peony spirit girl and her "old flame," the Daoist Qian Tongxuan from the Shengao Sect branch, Daoist title "Dragon Tail," and the Golden Core ghost sealed by the Shengao Sect's unique talismans in the secret chamber... Didn't all that prove that the mansion was the site of the Lord Lü Shrine?
Chen Ping'an laughed. "It's both 'waiting by the tree for the hare' and 'catching turtles in a jar.'"