Chapter 90

The clear and fragrant Fenjiu had not even been opened, but its aroma already permeated the bottle, invigorating the senses. Upon smelling it, Zhenbao's spirits immediately lifted. He picked up the wine bottle and took a sip—indeed, the sweetness and smoothness, with a lingering aftertaste, were not something that could be deceived by an illusion. It was truly a top-grade fine wine!

This place was still over a hundred miles from the end of the ancient road, yet the old man had managed to fetch it back in an instant. What kind of magic was this?

The old man, seemingly aware of his thoughts, did not reveal them. Instead, he laughed and handed over the wine bottle, urging Zhenbao to drink with him. Zhenbao, not wanting to ask directly, accepted the bottle and took a few gulps.

At that moment, he felt the wine was sweet and refreshing, and his heart seemed to brighten. The two of them drank wine with some mountain yams and fruits, and the old man began to share some strange and interesting stories. Zhenbao, in turn, recounted the bizarre tales he had heard in the ghost market. As they chatted, the distance between them gradually diminished, and they became more familiar with each other.

When the wine reached its peak, Zhenbao, emboldened by the alcohol, asked the old man, "Old sir, we've known each other for a while now, but I don't know your name or background. It's not proper to address you without a name, is it? If you have any difficulties, I understand, but if not, could you tell me?"

The old man glanced at him sideways and laughed, "Background? What background do I have? I'm just an old wanderer who has learned some peculiar skills in various places. If you like them, I can teach you, can't I?" He paused and continued, "As for what to call me, just call me Old Ge, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Zhenbao immediately responded, "It's a deal! Old Ge, no backing out!" Although he didn't fully believe the old man's words, he was quite eager to learn the magic. Since the old man had offered, he quickly seized the opportunity to finalize the deal.

The old man, seeing his eagerness, waved his hand and laughed, "What's the difficulty in that? Fine, I'll teach you the magic right now, as a token of our acquaintance."

He then picked up a dry branch from the ground and began to explain the magic in detail. This magic was not ordinary; it was based on the principles of the Eight Trigrams, which control and manipulate divine forces. The Eight Gates (Life, Injury, Rest, Closure, Scenery, Death, Surprise, and Opening) were used to generate and control the flow of power, making it endless and cyclical, transforming the intangible into the tangible, and ensuring a balance in advance and retreat. In simple terms, it was an auxiliary magic that used the Eight Gates to assist in controlling divine forces, allowing for transformations between the real and the intangible.

The old man said, "There are three elements in the practice of magic: Heaven, Earth, and Man. The element of Heaven involves clear sun and moon, the alignment of the five stars, the absence of comets, and harmonious winds. The element of Earth involves steep cliffs, vast waves, hidden caves, and winding paths. The element of Man involves a wise ruler, a virtuous general, a disciplined army, and well-equipped soldiers. A skilled practitioner uses the timing of Heaven, the advantages of the Earth, and the benefits of Man, thus achieving invincibility and perfect success."

He then imparted all the key points and incantations to Zhenbao.

By this time, both of them were quite drunk. One listened in a daze, and the other spoke unclearly. In a half-dream, half-awake state, Zhenbao felt a round trigram form within his body, representing the eight directions (Life, Injury, Rest, Closure, Scenery, Death, Surprise, and Opening), with yin and yang energies intertwining and transforming, creating countless possibilities.

In a daze, he felt his eyelids grow heavy and eventually fell asleep.

Zhenbao suddenly awoke, feeling refreshed and invigorated, with a strange and indescribable sensation. He quickly got up to look for Old Ge but saw that the fire had gone out and there was no one around.

Next to the scattered remains on the ground was a note, written in a flowing script:

"We met by chance, and I have taught you the magic of the Eight Gates. I hope you will practice diligently and strive for good. When the time comes, we will meet again. I have important matters to attend to, so I cannot bid you farewell. The road ahead will be smooth, and I wish you a safe journey."

At this moment, Zhenbao realized that the old man had left while he was asleep.

"Your intentions are as lofty as the sky, and my heart is as restless as a banner in the wind. We came together but did not leave together, and the homeland in spring is lonely and desolate!"

Zhenbao thought to himself, "This old man came suddenly, and it's not strange that he left suddenly—only, it's odd that he couldn't even leave a word of farewell. How strange..."

Just as he was thinking about this, Tianwu's voice suddenly rang out in his mind:

"Alright, alright! The old man is really gone! I was so scared!"

The voice was filled with relief and joy, seemingly genuine.

Zhenbao suddenly remembered that when he met the old man, he had felt uneasy and fearful, but he didn't dare to say it out loud. He asked Tianwu, "Huh? I don't understand. The old man seemed like a decent person, and he appeared to be a respected and powerful figure. Why were you so afraid of him?"

"Are you kidding me?" Tianwu snorted. "Zhenbao, are you really that naive? I don't know your situation, but you should know, right? With the three fires gone, you exist between yin and yang, neither alive nor dead, neither dirty nor clean... In the best case, you're someone who has transcended the three realms; in the worst case, you're a being that defies the natural order. What if he decides to get rid of both of us on a whim? Who knows?"

"Is that it?" Zhenbao scolded. "He didn't say anything else or mention us! Are you just making assumptions?" He grew more and more angry: "I could have learned from him, but you ruined it, making me afraid to reveal my identity."

Tianwu immediately countered, "You make it sound so simple! Who can say what the relationship is between the old man and your Grandfather Bayue? If he has ties to the Yin-Yang School, that's one thing, but what if he doesn't? Then you'd be dragging me to my death! Don't forget, when we fought with the filthy demon, he didn't come to help you!"

Zhenbao knew he had a point but still felt不服气 (unconvinced): "What you say isn't entirely wrong, but it's not necessarily true either! Maybe the old man was just testing us, or it was a coincidence. He didn't see us fight the filthy demon at the inn... If we had traveled with him, we could have learned more about his connection to the Yin-Yang School... Ah! You should have woken me up when he left."

"Wake you up to spend a few more days with him?" Tianwu sneered. "That old man's abilities are not ordinary. I'm afraid that if you and I spent more time with him, he would see through everything! If I hadn't quickly retreated to the scar, he might have discovered us, and then he would have found out about you—then, as a gathering of yin and a living dead person, we would have been eliminated!"

"You... You're just making excuses!"

"Is this making excuses? I'm being cautious for your own good!"

The two of them argued for a while, and Zhenbao became increasingly annoyed. Thinking about the old man's note, he lost interest and said, "Forget it! I won't argue with you about this. If he really wanted to take me as a disciple, he wouldn't have left like that... As Grandfather Liu used to say, if there's a connection, there's a connection; if there isn't, there isn't. You can't force it!"

Seeing that Zhenbao wasn't arguing anymore, Tianwu felt relieved and softened his tone: "Ahem, I should have discussed this with you earlier, but it was too urgent, and I didn't have the chance—next time! If there's another opportunity, I'll definitely consult you first, okay?"

"Next time? Who knows if there will be a next time," Zhenbao said half-jokingly, sitting on the ground and thinking, "We didn't really lose anything this time. We even learned something, so it's a net gain. There's no need to be upset..."

"Wait!" Tianwu suddenly said, "What did you say? You learned something?"

Zhenbao nodded, "Yes! The old man taught me a technique yesterday, but I don't know if it's real or if it actually works..." Mentioning this, he became excited, "Why don't we try it?"

"Try it?" Tianwu hesitated, "Yesterday, I felt something strange in your body, a powerful force that seemed to originate from the five elements and the Eight Gates, and it felt connected to me... Was this what he taught you?"

"Yep! Did you feel it too?" Zhenbao said happily, "Then we should definitely try it!"

Seeing Zhenbao's enthusiasm, Tianwu couldn't refuse outright. He thought about the sensations from the previous day and felt that there was no harm in trying, so he agreed, "Alright, we can try it, but I have to warn you: if I tell you to stop, you must stop immediately. Don't push it."

"Got it, got it!" Zhenbao, seeing that Tianwu had agreed, immediately got into position and began to recite the incantation as the old man had taught him, gradually circulating his inner energy...

As he recited the incantation, Tianwu suddenly shouted in surprise. Zhenbao, startled, immediately stopped, but even though he stopped, he felt a mysterious force in his dantian (lower abdomen) being drawn out, as if something was being forcibly extracted!

A black smoke rose in the air, swirling and coiling, gradually darkening like ink. It landed on the ground and with a hiss, a form emerged!

It was the eight-headed, eight-faced Tianwu!

A living, breathing Tianwu appeared before him!

Zhenbao, looking at the figure in front of him, repeatedly called out in his mind, "Tianwu! Tianwu! Are you still there?" He wanted to hear the familiar voice in his mind, but after calling out several times, there was no response.

Could it be... that the magic was to make Tianwu tangible, to transform the intangible into the real?

He looked at Tianwu, and Tianwu looked back at him. Zhenbao swallowed and spoke, "Uh, Tianwu, is that you?"

Tianwu immediately jumped up, leaping and shouting, "Ha! It's me! It's me! How can it not be me? Heaven! I finally have a body again! Great! It's so great!"

He suddenly stopped and pounced on Zhenbao, shouting, "Ha, Zhenbao! Ha! This is me, do you see? The mighty and glorious Lord Tianwu! I'm so happy!"

Zhenbao, infected by Tianwu's joy, hugged him and laughed, "It really works..." But as he said this, he suddenly felt empty in his arms!

Tianwu had turned back into black smoke and was being sucked back into his body!

Zhenbao felt dizzy and weak, as if all his strength had been drained. His legs gave out, and he fell to the ground, feeling as if he were floating.

In his mind, Tianwu shouted in shock, "What's happening? Why am I back? Zhenbao, what's going on?"

He laughed bitterly and suddenly understood, "My cultivation isn't strong enough, so you can't maintain your form for long—Tianwu, this time you borrowed my strength!" (To be continued)