Return to GuShui Village

"Repay the money?"

Sha LiFei rubbed his shiny bald head and pretended to be puzzled. "Daoist, you must have remembered wrong. You're an expert of the Xuan Gate. How could I, Old Sha, dare owe you money?"

Wang Dao Xuan was rendered speechless. "That spring, at the Drunken Flower Pavilion in Chang'an..."

"Oh~ I remember now."

Sha LiFei began spouting blatant lies with his eyes wide open. "You forgot? I only invited you for a drink. That day, you were drunk and insisted on calling for the most popular dancer. I couldn't stop you..."

"Did that really happen?"

"Of course it did. And I didn't abandon you, either. A fellow martial artist had run into trouble, and saving him was as urgent as putting out a fire. I didn't dare delay."

"You know me. I've always valued loyalty most..."

"Hahahaha, enough. Consider it this Daoist's treat."

"Daoist, look at this... Next time, next time I'll treat you!"

"Will you?"

"Of course! You should know who I, Sha LiFei, am..."

On the yellow-earth Official Road, three riders galloped through the dust.

Perhaps because Li Yan's face was unfamiliar, combined with the effects of his disguise, or perhaps because Meng HaiCheng's status was low and even suffering a loss would not attract the Divine Fist Society's attention, their departure from the city went extremely smoothly.

In short, leaving the city was remarkably easy.

Sha LiFei was a slick martial-world loafer, while Wang Dao Xuan possessed a sincere heart. Li Yan had no idea why these two utterly mismatched men always had endless things to talk about.

The two chatted about this and that all along the way.

Li Yan, riding beside them, remained silent, his mind filled with worries.

It was already close to dusk. Because he had lingered at Wang Dao Xuan's place for some time, asking detailed questions, he had finally gotten a rough understanding of the Xuan Gate's circumstances.

This world was more complicated than he had imagined.

Martial artists cultivated through Manifested Strength, Hidden Strength, Transformed Strength, Pellet Strength, Firm Strength, Innate Firmness, and the Grandmaster realm, among others. All of these depended on one's own cultivation. With every advance, the killing power of one's techniques increased sharply.

Cultivation within the Xuan Gate, however, focused on preserving the spirit.

The first step was to visualize a deity, borrow its power, and reach the point of mobilizing the Divine Soul and controlling supernatural abilities.

Once successful, he would be able to suppress the supernatural ability that was nearly out of control.

And this was only the beginning of Xuan Gate cultivation.

Humans ate grains and cereals and possessed the seven emotions and six desires. Added to that were the countless troubles of the mortal world. Even after visualizing a deity, one still faced the danger of dispersing at any moment.

When that happened, one had to preserve and visualize the spirit all over again.

The solution was to build temples and establish shrines.

Through a ritual ceremony, one built a palace or pavilion within the sea of consciousness for the deity one had visualized, allowing it to remain stable.

That was when one had truly entered the Xuan Gate, a state known as having reached the first floor of Dao cultivation.

The stronger the deity visualized, the higher the building constructed, and the deeper one's Dao cultivation.

Thus, whenever Xuan Gate practitioners mentioned some orthodox sect's or lineage's high master, they would speak of that person's Dao cultivation as being several floors high!

Moreover, martial artists and the Xuan Gate were not mutually exclusive. Some high masters of the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect were equally skilled in Daoist martial arts. It was simply that a person could not divide their mind, and their energy was limited, making it impossible to excel at both. Thus, Grandmaster-level experts were not common.

Some simply gave it up altogether. Wang Dao Xuan, for example, only had a rough grasp of boxing and kicking. He could deal with one or two loafers, but when faced with a true practitioner, he could only take a beating.

Yet whether it was martial artists or the Xuan Gate, both revealed one crucial fact:

This world had no such thing as Spiritual Energy!

No matter how high one's cultivation, when it was time to die, one died all the same.

This world emphasized Firm Qi and Malevolent Qi, of which there were countless varieties.

For example, every famous mountain and great river absorbed the essence of the sun and moon and condensed Innate Firmness. Most were blessed with clear mountains and beautiful waters. Some animals with Dao cultivation even practiced within those mountains.

The preserved-spirit arts or the Firm Strength of martial arts were acquired Firmness for humans.

The Divine Qi condensed by the incense and wishes of Daoist temples, temples, and divine statues was called divine Firmness.

Powerful weapons and ritual artifacts would also condense Firm Qi.

The other kind was Malevolent Qi, with which all sorts of demons, monsters, ghosts, and spirits were connected.

Of course, Firm Qi and Malevolent Qi had no distinction between righteousness and evil.

Used righteously, they were righteous; used evilly, they were evil.

For example, his Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin Sword Tassel was a ritual artifact for suppressing evil Malevolent Qi.

All kinds of spells and ritual ceremonies, even feng shui, were built upon this foundation.

What currently troubled Li Yan was how to preserve the spirit.

There were likewise countless methods of preserving the spirit. One only needed to visualize the deity in one's heart, but it was not arbitrary imagination. It had to be the reflection within one's heart.

After countless years of exploration, the Xuan Gate had developed an effective method.

They selected children who had awakened their Yang Six Roots. From a young age, the children recited Daoist scriptures and meditated every day, engraving the worshiped patriarch or deity deeply into their minds. When it was time to preserve the spirit, everything would fall naturally into place.

The Daoist method passed down by Wang Dao Xuan was one such method.

The Daoist scripture he taught was called the Western Xuan Netherworld True Scripture. The patriarch worshiped was that three-eyed swordsman, known as Profound Qi Manifesting Might Celestial Lord Chen.

According to the book, this patriarch came from the mysterious Western Xuan Cave Heaven.

Over countless years, the people of the Xuan Gate had crossed a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers, finding all the spirit mountains in the Divine Land that possessed Innate Firmness. Passed down through the ages, these places became known as Blessed Grotto-Heavens.

But as the years stretched on, some could still be found, while others became legends.

The Western Xuan Cave Heaven was one such place. Some said it was in Jin Prefecture, some said Guanzhong, and others said Western Peak Mount Hua. No one knew its exact location, much less how to find the crucial feng shui spiritual aperture.

Thus, Wang Dao Xuan guessed that the legend was most likely false.

Many lineages gave their patriarchs resounding titles and extraordinary legends. This could spread the lineage's prestige, and it also made preserving the spirit proceed more smoothly.

That was where Li Yan's difficulty lay as well.

Adults already had complicated minds, and he possessed memories from two lifetimes. To believe without reservation that some deity truly existed was practically impossible.

Thus, only one path remained to him.

He had to visualize and preserve the spirit, reflecting the deity within his true heart.

Li Yan had already formed a plan: he would use the divine statue in his dantian as the target of his visualization and preserve the spirit.

But this thing was far too mysterious, and its risks were unknown.

Since it concerned a miraculous treasure that could extend his life, there was no way he could discuss it with anyone.

Fortunately, preserving the spirit required several days of purifying the mind.

Li Yan decided to follow Wang Dao Xuan into the Lu Family, find out what had triggered the Substitute Divine Statue's reaction, then return to Li Family Fortress and preserve the spirit.

When they returned to GuShui Village, dusk was already near.

The wheat workers in the surrounding fields were still busy. Every one of them had been tanned black and was drenched in sweat, yet the sickles in their hands continued to swing without pause.

Cart after cart of wheat was hauled into the threshing ground.

They had to dry it and store it as quickly as possible, lest a sudden rain fall.

Snatching food from the jaws of the dragon was as tense as a battlefield.

The three rode past on horseback, and the wheat workers did not even have time to look up.

A simple canopy had been erected on the empty ground beside the wheat fields. Landlord Lu, two concubines, the steward, and the guards were all inside.

Racing to harvest and secure the grain during the summer harvest was a major matter for any landlord.

Landlord Lu had to personally oversee the work. First, to prevent the wheat workers from slacking off, and second, to give them appropriate rewards at the right time so that this year would yield a good harvest.

Yet he was distracted, glancing toward the Official Road from time to time.

"Why haven't they come yet?"

Hearing him ask, Steward Lu's forehead broke out in cold sweat. He hurriedly lowered his head and said, "Master ordered us not to make a fuss, so I could only find these people. I heard that the City God Temple in Xianyang City has a temple celebrant from the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect..."

Landlord Lu's expression immediately turned cold. "I'll decide what needs to be done myself. Are you trying to teach me how to act?"

"You're right, Master."

Steward Lu no longer dared say more and cursed Sha LiFei inwardly.

He knew exactly how ruthlessly and mercilessly this seemingly kind and broad-minded Landlord Lu acted whenever he became angry.

Even the two concubines beside him had fear in their eyes, their bodies trembling slightly.

Just then, the sound of hoofbeats arose in the distance.

Seeing the three return with Sha LiFei, Steward Lu felt relieved. He hurried forward and ordered people to lead the horses away and feed them. Then he moved close to Sha LiFei and whispered through clenched teeth, "Why did you only arrive now?"

The one who had wasted time was Li Yan, but how could Sha LiFei dare say anything? He gave a fawning laugh and made up a story. "Daoist Wang is a busy man of distinction. Plenty of people invite him out. Today, even a wealthy gentleman from Chang'an came calling. If it weren't for the face of yours truly, Sha LiFei..."

Wang Dao Xuan could not listen any longer. He stepped forward and said, "Infinite Longevity and Fortune. This Daoist was delayed by something. I hope you won't take offense, Layman."

Wang Dao Xuan's abilities were ordinary, but his eyes were clear and upright. At first glance, he inspired goodwill.

Steward Lu was no exception. He hurriedly said, "Of course not, of course not. Thank you for your effort, Daoist."

He then led the group toward the cool shed.

Landlord Lu had already risen as well. After exchanging pleasantries, he raised a hand and said, "Daoist Wang, you've come from far away. I've prepared wine and food. Please."

"Many thanks, Layman Lu."

Wang Dao Xuan nodded slightly and followed Landlord Lu forward.

Li Yan and Sha LiFei were just about to follow when Steward Lu stopped them with one hand and said quietly, "Why are you two following along? Come with me to the side courtyard for a meal."

Before Sha LiFei could say more, Wang Dao Xuan turned around and smiled. "Landlord Lu, Layman Sha needs to accompany me up the mountain to select a site. As for this young friend Li, he has already entered the Xuan Gate and can be considered my junior brother. Would it be possible..."

This was the explanation they had settled on along the way.

They were all people of the martial world, with plenty of schemes in their hearts. No matter how they looked at it, the Lu Family's job concealed another mystery. Having two more people would allow them to look after one another.

Landlord Lu hesitated for a moment. "Very well."

With that, he led everyone into the Lu Family's great residence.

The walls of the Lu Family's great residence were extremely high. From outside, outsiders could barely glimpse anything beyond the occasional trees and pavilions, but once inside, they realized it contained another world.

Four grand courtyards formed the central axis, with a study, flower garden, laborers' courtyard, and surrounding courtyard arranged around them. Alleys connected them all, and the various brick and wood carvings were exquisite.

Even the arrangement of the flowerpots along the way was exceptionally particular.

Sha LiFei had long since been dazzled. His face was full of envy as he clicked his tongue and said, "As expected of Landlord Lu. If that old thief from the Rong Family Gate came here, he'd get dizzy just trying to find his way around."

A tower-like man behind them heard this, and his expression immediately darkened. He sneered, "With us here, not even a mouse from the Rong Family Gate could get in!"

This man was Zhao Cheng, the current eldest disciple of the Zhao Family Fist, as well as the leader of all the guards.

They belonged to the Guazi Trade and made their living from this sort of work. Naturally, they were unhappy hearing such words.

Sha LiFei gave a sheepish laugh. "I was just talking nonsense. Don't take offense."

As they spoke, everyone passed through gate after gate and entered a side courtyard. A plaque above it bore the two characters "Orchid Fragrance." Servants were already bustling about inside, and the fragrance of wine and food drifted through the air.

Landlord Lu said, "Everyone, this is the Orchid Fragrance Courtyard, specially provided for visiting guests. I've prepared a feast to welcome you all."

The table held eight cold dishes and eight hot dishes, eight meat dishes and eight vegetable dishes.

They were not particularly rare or precious. The cold dishes included mixed pig ears, mixed cowpeas, mixed cucumbers, spinach with glass noodles, and spiced beef. The hot dishes included fried ribbonfish, braised prawns in oil, red-braised pork, and steamed perch.

But these were foods that wealthy families usually served only when hosting an event.

Sha LiFei was already salivating with hunger, but Wang Dao Xuan's expression remained calm. He raised a hand and said, "There's no hurry, Landlord Lu. Although this Daoist has come, I may not dare eat this meal."

"Why don't you first tell us what exactly happened in your household?"

"I'm afraid this isn't as simple as merely selecting a site, is it..."