Oil Runs Out, Lamp Dies

The great hall was secluded, with wisps of incense smoke curling upwards.

Mo Chuan watched Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy with a half-smile, thinking to himself, He's just a child, he can't hide his curiosity.

"To save the world and guide people is our Daoist sect's responsibility. That Headless Ghost has already been subdued by this humble Daoist!"

As his voice faded, Mo Chuan's figure blurred and disappeared. In the distance, he faintly sensed another unclaimed incense offering.

Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy watched Mo Chuan vanish, his breathing suddenly becoming rapid.

He forcibly suppressed the excitement in his heart, his expression solemn as he prostrated himself and bowed.

After completing the three bows and nine kowtows, he rose, clasped his hands in a Tai Chi pose, bowed, and retreated.

As soon as he left the great hall, he could no longer contain his childlike exuberance. He took off running, like a startled rabbit or a gust of wind, creating a small vortex within the Daoist temple.

"Master—Master—"

Fu Luan's old Daoist priest, who was seeing off the Qingshui County constables, saw a gray figure streaking towards him from a distance like lightning.

"That's my disciple. He just joined, and he's a bit wild. Please excuse him, gentlemen."

Fu Luan's old Daoist priest's eyelids twitched. He had no choice but to awkwardly cup his hands and explain to the two constables.

"Hahaha, your temple is quite lively!"

The constables chuckled and then departed.

Fu Luan's old Daoist priest stood in place, seeing off the constables, and watched as Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy approached, his old face as dark as the bottom of a pot.

"What's with all this rushing around? Have you no manners?!"

As Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy got closer, Fu Luan's old Daoist priest pulled a long face and reprimanded him.

"Master—Our Ancestral Master has manifested!"

Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy blurted out the truth breathlessly, then couldn't stop gulping for air.

"Our Ancestral Master manifested? That's not... What? What did you say?"

Before Fu Luan's old Daoist priest could even put on an air of authority, he immediately lost all composure, his face a mask of disbelief.

"Hoo... hoo... Master, I, I was doing my morning prayers... hoo..."

"No rush, no rush. Speak slowly, speak slowly."

Fu Luan's old Daoist priest patted his beloved disciple's back, but seeing his eager expression, he knew it wouldn't be that simple.

After a while, Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy finally caught his breath. He swallowed, moistening his throat, and said with a face full of light, "Master, I just finished my morning prayers today, and I felt something strange about the statue. When I looked up, guess what I saw?"

Slap!

A flick to the forehead landed on Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy's head. "What, what, what? Is our Ancestral Master someone you can... speak of so casually?"

"Ouch, Master, be gentle."

"Quick, tell me, tell me."

"Yes, Master."

"When I looked up, I saw our Ancestral Master emerge from the statue, bathed in divine radiance and stepping on auspicious clouds. The entire hall was filled with divine light, bringing glory to this humble abode."

Fu Luan's old Daoist priest automatically ignored his disciple's adjectives and asked with a serious expression, "Are you sure it was our Ancestral Master?"

A hint of slyness flashed across Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy's face:

"Of course! Master, don't you remember? I've already mastered the art of Ghost Immortal possession. I have a natural connection to the divine. How could I not recognize the divine light emanating from our Ancestral Master?"

Upon hearing this, Fu Luan's old Daoist priest breathed a sigh of relief and felt even more gratified.

Xuan Yun truly has innate spiritual roots!

"Continue."

"Yes, Master. When I saw our Ancestral Master manifest, I immediately performed the grandest prostration..."

On the mountain path of Fu Luan Temple, Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy enthusiastically described the scene of witnessing the Ancestral Master's divine manifestation, not shying away from adding a few descriptive words.

However, Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy was naturally intelligent and knew where to exaggerate and where not to.

Therefore, the content of their conversation remained largely unchanged.

It was fortunate for him that he was so clever. For an ordinary Daoist boy, simply recounting the event accurately would have been difficult enough.

"Master, look, this is the Ghost Subduing Talisman bestowed by our Ancestral Master!"

Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy took out a stack of Ghost Subduing Talismans and presented them to his master as if offering a treasure.

Fu Luan's old Daoist priest took the talismans and stroked them with his hand, feeling the jie power contained within. His expression became complex:

"From what you've said, our Ancestral Master must have already cultivated into a Ghost Immortal. These Ghost Subduing Talismans were likely painstakingly inscribed and accumulated by our Ancestral Master when he was a Jie Immortal, solely to leave a foundation for our Fu Luan Temple's inheritance."

Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy was greatly moved by this.

He wasn't an ignorant child, he just hadn't thought that deeply for a moment. After his master's enlightenment, he immediately understood the Ancestral Master's earnest intention to protect the Dao.

"Master, did the county constables come because of the Headless Ghost matter?" Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy couldn't help but ask.

"That's right, the County Magistrate died by decapitation, shaking the court and the public. The government widely invited eminent masters to perform rituals to subdue the demons! I never expected this was the work of the Headless Ghost, nor did I expect my Fu Luan Ancestor Master had already subdued the Headless Ghost long ago. Truly, his dharma is boundless, and destiny favors Fu Luan!"

Fu Luan's old Daoist priest said with emotion, a flicker of pride uncontrollably flashing in his eyes.

"Master, you don't seem surprised?"

"Surprised by what?"

"Ancestor Master captured the Headless Ghost? Didn't you say this is one of the Four Great Fiends of the Daoist sect, extremely difficult to subdue?"

"Hahaha, that's for others. Naturally, it's extremely difficult for others. My Fu Luan Ancestor Master founded this temple and established this sect. What is a mere Headless Ghost to him?"

Fu Luan's old Daoist priest, who had been silent his entire life, had never felt so proud and uplifted as he did now.

Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy was stirred by his words. Thinking about it carefully, it really made sense!

What was the Headless Ghost?

If one day the Ancestor Master summoned the Four Great Fiends to serve him like the Six Ding and Six Jia, he shouldn't be surprised!

"Xuan Yun! Follow your master back to the temple to offer incense."

"Yes, Master!"

The story branches into two.

Some, due to the Ancestor Master's return, were on the verge of great prosperity;

Others, wishing to complete what their predecessors had left unfinished, built temples and established sects, only to end up with a thatched hut and a meager existence.

Thirty-nine li west of Qingshui County lies Huayin Mountain. The mountain is rich in gold and jade, abundant in qing, and full of realgar. Qun Stream originates here and flows southeast into Qingshui.

Hidden among the mountain ranges, an unnamed Daoist temple was situated amidst tall grass.

To call it a Daoist temple was generous; it was merely a single thatched hut.

If not for the peeling gold-lacquered plaque hanging above the door and the clay statues of deities inside, one might have mistaken it for a temporary shelter for hunters.

At this moment, in this desolate thatched hut, a dying old Daoist priest took out a Daoist robe he had treasured for a long time and, with great effort, dressed himself neatly.

Shortly after, he took three sticks of incense. After searching for a long time, he couldn't find a candle. His gaze quietly fell upon the blackened earth stove on the west side of the temple.

Within the stove, there were still unextinguished embers.

A hint of sorrow appeared on his face. The ashes from the stove, also known as "Fulong Shi" (Dragon-Subduing Shit), could not be used to light incense; it was a great disrespect!

But he still slowly stood up, walked over, and used the stove fire to light the offering incense.

The three sticks of incense were divided for offering to the Dao, offering to the scriptures, and offering to the master.

He had intended to silently recite a prayer for each, offering them with reverence. But when the incense reached his hand, he thrust them all in together.

After nearly sixty years of cultivation in the desolate mountains, many of the complicated rituals had long been forgotten due to the hardships of life.

Or perhaps, as a heretic and a traitor, his disrespect for etiquette was precisely the root of his obscurity and shallow Daoist teachings.

"Disciple Yan Zhen, today I feel my end is near. Soon my soul will return to the Three Mountains, and my spirit to the Five Sacred Peaks! I have cultivated diligently for sixty years, vowing to help the world and save people. I never imagined Qingshui would face disaster, but my decaying body cannot move, my Yin spirit cannot emerge, and all my Daoist cultivation has been reduced to firewood and rice."

Yan Zhen paused, his words having already exhausted his strength.

Only the surging thoughts in his mind remained, churning restlessly.

He remained silent for a long time, then sighed, "They say incense arises from sincerity, and smoke comes from faith. One sincere thought connects to the heavenly realm, and all the true deities descend from the Jade Terrace!"

"This old Daoist has encountered spirit monsters and fierce ghosts, but has never seen the true deities descend to the mortal world."

"Do gods and immortals truly exist in this world?"

After uttering these words of wavering faith, he kowtowed heavily, slowly got up, walked to the grass mat made of straw on the east side, and slowly lay down.

He could feel that at the end of his dwindling life, his body was becoming lighter, and his senses were gradually peeling away.

The Yin spirit, which had been difficult to emerge, felt as though it could leap out of the body's constraints at any moment.

But he dared not emerge.

Because outside the body lay a great terror, and emerging would inevitably lead to death and the dissipation of his Dao.

Nature has its cleverness and clumsiness, which can be hidden.

As a dull-witted person of wood, he had his own methods of cultivating the Dao, yet he chose to defy heaven. Great disaster was imminent!

"To save the world and help people, who will save me?"

"Master, disciple misses you. Disciple wants to... go home."

The old Daoist murmured, closing his eyes.

In a daze, he faintly saw his master standing before the grass mat, looking at him with a benevolent expression.

"Fellow Daoist, this poor Daoist wishes to borrow your body, may I?"

"Borrow it, borrow it. Just don't do evil."

Screech—

A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating all of Huayin Mountain. Moments later, a thunderous boom startled the beasts and birds on the mountain, sending them scattering in all directions.

"Splash, splash—"

Before long, the heavens opened, and rain poured down, shrouding the mountain wilderness in mist.

"Quick, quick! There seems to be a house up ahead, perfect for sheltering from the rain."

Through the torrential mountain rain, excited shouts could faintly be heard. Following the shouts, something inauspicious trailed behind.

It could sense that the old Daoist priest was at the end of his rope!