Chapter 28

Taiyi Hunyuan Zushi was buried on the eastern side of Maoshan Mountain, at the foot of Longmian Peak. Backed by the mountain and facing the water, the pine and cypress trees stood tall and dense, a place chosen by the old Daoist Maoshan for its excellent feng shui, said to be auspicious for descendants.

Yue Qing led Liu Quan, while Wei Kan pulled along Situ Ping, and the four of them walked along the river.

Yue Qing explained to everyone, "The source of this river is the nine streams from the mountain over there, all converging here, forming the Nine Dragons Drawing Water formation. To the east, the Green Dragon mountain range stretches continuously, while the White Tiger mountain range on the right is gentle and compliant. Behind us, the Black Tortoise mountain peak is low and drooping, and the Vermilion Bird river in front flows at a moderate pace." He sighed in admiration, "When it comes to geomancy and feng shui, the Maoshan Sect is unparalleled in the world."

They continued up the hill, and Wei Kan asked, "Uncle Master, is that the thatched hut where the Grandmaster used to seclude himself and refine his sword?"

Everyone looked over to the side of the pine forest path, where there was a small hut made of fragrant thatch grass, with an inner and outer room. It had been about forty or fifty years since then, but the thatched hut still looked the same, as if it was frequently cleaned and repaired. Each blade of thatch was neatly trimmed, without any disorder, and it did not show any signs of decay from years of wind and rain, as if someone still lived inside.

Yue Qing's eyes were a bit moist. This thatched hut was built by him and his fellow disciples for their master. Now, the thatched hut was still there, but he could no longer see his master. He slowly walked into the hut, where the tables, chairs, bed, broom, and tea set were all the same as when his master used them. He picked up one item after another, and scenes from when Taiyi Hunyuan Zushi was there flashed before his eyes.

Wei Kan, being more mischievous, saw three cushions by the wall and pulled Situ Ping over to sit down, mimicking the posture of meditation. He even taught Situ Ping how to cross his legs and breathe.

Liu Quan reached out to pull him up, "No fooling around!" When he looked at Yue Qing, he saw that his eyes were already blurry with tears, and he softly called, "Brother."

"Yes, I'm fine," Yue Qing wiped away his tears, "Let's go, I'll take you to pay respects at Master's grave."

They left the thatched hut and came to Taiyi Hunyuan Zushi's grave. The tomb was also supervised by the old Daoist Maoshan. There was a small temple on top, inside which stood a jade statue of Taiyi Hunyuan Zushi, carved from a single piece of white jade, about three feet tall. Taiyi Hunyuan Zushi sat on a nine-headed divine tortoise, wearing an eight-trigram immortal robe, holding a ruyi in his left hand and a broom in his right, with a kind and serene face, looking down quietly.

Because the temple was too small to enter, Yue Qing took out a mat from a cabinet below the statue and knelt down with Liu Quan in front of the door. Wei Kan and Situ Ping knelt behind them, and together they bowed inward, "Master! Master, your unworthy disciples have come to see you!" Yue Qing said only one sentence before he was in tears, his voice choked with sobs. He had been saved by Taiyi Hunyuan Zushi during a war when he was young, and was brought to the mountain to be raised and educated. They had been together for nearly three hundred years, as both father and master, with a bond far deeper than that of ordinary people. Now, all he could think of were the times when his master explained scriptures, helped him refine his flying sword, and stood up for him when he was bullied. With his master now dead and his soul extinguished, never to be seen again, he was overwhelmed with sorrow.

Yue Qing cried more and more, and eventually, Situ Ping also began to cry. Liu Quan quickly tried to comfort them.

Yue Qing smiled, took Liu Quan's hand, and prayed inside the temple, "Master, your disciple is determined to revive Wutai and restore its former glory. I will also slay the Three Immortals and Two Elders, making them suffer the same fate as you, to avenge you! Even if they ascend to the heavens, I will not rest until this is done! If I cannot achieve these two goals, I will not attain enlightenment! Master, there is one more thing to celebrate. I have taken a good disciple, Liu Shidi, who is intelligent, wise, and of excellent character. He will surely become a pillar of our Wutai Sect. Liu Shidi, come and pay respects to Master."

Liu Quan followed the ritual and bowed, "Master, I have always heard of your great name and deeply admired you, though I have never had the chance to meet you. However, I can see your presence in Brother, who is righteous and sincere, and says he was raised by you. You must be even stronger than him. I am grateful to Brother for introducing me to the sect, and I will devote myself to studying and practicing Daoist arts to help revive our sect!" He bowed again, and felt a gentle breeze on his head, as if touched by an invisible hand, warm and comforting, like a parent's caress, making him feel very calm and slightly surprised.

"Brother, what's wrong?" Yue Qing noticed his unusual expression.

"Nothing," Liu Quan composed himself.

Next, Yue Qing led the two younger disciples to bow to the ancestor and prayed again, burning incense and lighting lamps, sprinkling water, and offering fruits.

After the ceremony, the four of them did not return to Yuanshu Palace but stayed in the thatched hut. Yue Qing made two wooden swords and taught the younger ones sword techniques, explained the Taiyi Zhenjie to Liu Quan, and told stories about Taiyi Hunyuan Zushi during their free time.

That night, Yue Qing and Liu Quan meditated in the thatched hut, while Wei Kan took Situ Ping to catch fish in the river and then climbed trees to get bird eggs, which they roasted over a campfire.

Yue Qing burned the incense that his master liked the most, sat on the mat his master used to sit on, and quietly practiced the Hunyuan Xuan Gong.

Outside, the moon was bright, the night breeze gentle, and the mountain mist lightly brushed past, the ancient cypresses rustling, and the temple banners fluttering in the wind.

Yue Qing gradually merged his spirit with the universe, reaching a state of meditation.

In a daze, he heard a familiar voice, "Disciple! Disciple!"

He was immediately shaken, "Master? Master, is that you? Where are you?"

"It's me, it's me," it was indeed Taiyi Hunyuan Zushi, "Your Daoist skills have improved greatly these past years, I am very pleased."

Hearing the familiar voice, Yue Qing was eager and searched everywhere in the vast chaos, "Master, where are you?"

"Disciple, don't look for me. I have merged with the universe and the earth. With your current realm, even if I were right in front of you, you would not be able to sense my presence."

Yue Qing said happily, "Master, you are still alive..." His voice choked with emotion.

"Foolish child! For us Daoists, what difference does it make whether we are alive or dead? Have you forgotten the teachings of the Nanhua Jing?"

"Yes, Master, I understand," Yue Qing admitted his mistake obediently.

Taiyi Hunyuan Zushi said, "Yue'er, I know you have been looking for the upper volume of the Hunyuan Xianjing."

"Master, I seek the Heavenly Book only to inherit your Daoist lineage and revive Wutai, not for personal gain."

"I know, don't worry. Listen to me. The middle volume of my Hunyuan Xianjing is the Ten Demonic Scriptures of the Northern Demon Sect, the lower volume is the Taiyi Zhenjie by Chen Tuan, and the supplementary volume contains various formulas for refining treasures and elixirs. As for the upper volume, it is the Tongxuan Zhenjing."

"Tongxuan Zhenjing? Tongxuan..." Yue Qing found the name familiar, "I remember that Laozi had a direct disciple named Wenzi, whose Daoist name was Tongxuan Zhenren. Could this Tongxuan Zhenjing be..."

"Exactly, the Tongxuan Zhenjing was written by Tongxuan Zhenren. The Daoist sects in the world can be roughly divided into two schools. One school is the celestial immortals who descended to the human world to spread Daoist teachings, such as the Eastern Green Emperor, also known as the Eastern Emperor, or the Young Yang Emperor, who descended to teach the True Yang Zhenren Zhongli Quan, who then taught the Pure Yang Zhenren Lü Dongbin. Most of the cultivation methods practiced by cultivators today, such as refining the inner elixir and nurturing the yuan ying, come from this lineage. The other school is the one founded by Laozi during the Spring and Autumn period, who was born as Li Er and wrote the Dao De Jing. The Wen Shi Zhenren Yin Xi received the teachings at the Hangu Pass and founded the Wen Shi Sect. This school is the highest in attainment but is too profound and deep, and only those with exceptional talent and insight can succeed, so there are very few disciples. The saying 'Wen Shi is the highest, and Shao Yang is the greatest' refers to the status of these two lineages."

Yue Qing said, "I heard that the Daoist Zhang Sanfeng of the Wudang Sect once obtained the Wen Shi Zhenjing. Is that true?"

Taiyi Hunyuan Zushi said, "To be honest, I entered the Daoist path earlier than him, but my foundation was not as good, and my achievements were far less. Zhang Sanfeng combined the strengths of the Wen Shi and Shao Yang schools, achieving the rank of Golden Immortal in less than two hundred years and ascending to the heavens, leaving all cultivators in awe. However, because he ascended too quickly, the Wudang Sect became unstable. After he ascended, his disciples lost discipline and could not understand the profound meanings of the Wen Shi Zhenjing. By the second generation, the sect declined. Later, Xin Ming entered the Buddhist path to find additional cultivation methods to supplement the Wudang Sect's teachings, and he and his junior brother Ling Lingzi refined nine Taiyi Fenguang Swords, which helped stabilize the situation. After years of rest and recuperation, the Wudang Sect revived. Alas, the Wutai Sect is now in a similar situation to the Wudang Sect back then."