Climbing the Flames and Attaching to Power

Before the shrine and enshrined in the cabinet, offerings were made to the gods and ancestors.

Beneath the curling wisps of smoke, Huang Buyu respectfully spoke.

Ever since his failed attempt at seeking human form and his fortuitous encounter with the Netherworld Immortal, Huang Buyu had been repeatedly pondering this matter in his spare time while mending his cultivation.

Initially, he was quite uneasy, having considered relocating several times.

However, these anxious thoughts were ultimately suppressed by reason.

—Mortals are attached to their homes; spirit monsters are even more so.

Unexpectedly, several incidents in Qingshui County had thoroughly terrified him.

First, the Headless Ghost of Qingshui City had been subdued by a powerful individual.

Second, Fox Immortal Bai Niang, whom he had met several times on Huayin Mountain, was slain by the old Daoist priest of the desolate mountain with a single sword strike.

Third, at the Qingshui County Magistrate's residence, a Ghost Immortal Spirit Mediumship had appeared, summoning a sword to punish the foolish.

These three events seemed to have conspired together, appearing all at once and sending chills down one's spine.

In the past, although he felt the world was dangerous, the source of that danger was merely the village's black dog or the town's mystical cat.

As his cultivation grew, he could see further, and it was merely the surrounding spirit monsters.

Now, he suddenly realized the world was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

He had merely been lucky to be born in this desolate corner where human presence was weak, thus managing to gain some immortal connections.

To think he had dared to use Illusionary Arts to intimidate the Chen Family.

If he had escalated the situation, he would likely have already become a fortune or opportunity in the eyes of those cultivators.

Under the overwhelming sense of crisis, after much deliberation, he gritted his teeth, his heart sank, and he decided to sneak into the Chen Family ancestral hall under the cover of deep night.

This was the only great opportunity he could access!

Immortal Mo came from the Netherworld Underworld, so he must be knowledgeable and perhaps could offer him some guidance.

As his thoughts raced, Huang Buyu bowed his body, respectfully awaiting the Immortal's response.

"I am human, and you are a demon. I cannot accept your incense offerings!"

A playful voice echoed from the shrine.

Huang Buyu's mind raced, and as he looked up, he was so startled that he abruptly stood up, his voice trembling, "Who, who are you?"

Within the vermilion shrine, a young Daoist priest with rosy lips and white teeth was half-squatting on the shrine in a wild and unrestrained manner, looking at him with a half-smile.

Mo Chuan chuckled, "You really have a bad memory. It's only been a few days, and you don't remember me?"

As he spoke, he extended his index finger, and the curling incense smoke coiled around his finger, a truly wondrous sight!

Huang Buyu's whiskers trembled, his black eyes darted around, and after a long while, he stammered, "Are, are you Mister Mo, Immortal Mo?"

Mo Chuan nodded, "Your eyesight hasn't failed you."

Huang Buyu was stunned and subconsciously asked, "Aren't you, Immortal Mo, in the form of a Jie Immortal?"

Mo Chuan replied, "What, only Yellow Skins are allowed to seek human form, and Jie Immortals are not allowed to transform into humans?"

"No, no, no, please don't be angry, Immortal Mo, please don't be angry! It's just that I, Huang, have only ever heard of demons transforming into humans, and I've never heard of a Ghost Immortal being able to come back to life, especially in the form of a Jie Immortal."

Huang Buyu explained repeatedly, his voice becoming distorted with anxiety.

After all, if Mister Mo had manifested his divine power in his Ghost Immortal form last time, it might have been a powerful individual manifesting their Emerging Yin Spirit.

But he appeared in the form of a Jie Immortal.

This was enough to rule out the possibility of "Emerging Yin Spirit."

Upon closer inspection of Mister Mo's forehead bone.

It could be described as: bones imbued with spiritual light, divine energy concealed within.

This was by no means a case of channeling or possession!

This could only mean one thing: this was a physical body reshaped by the spiritual essence of his soul!

This was precisely why Huang Buyu was even more terrified and shaken!

Using a wisp of incense smoke to traverse from the Netherworld Underworld to the human realm, Mister Mo was definitely a top-tier Immortal.

How long had he been in the human world? He had already reshaped his physical body, such a method was simply unheard of!

Perhaps he was a terrestrial immortal in his previous life.

Now that his physical body was formed, with Mister Mo's abilities, he would likely be able to recover his cultivation in no time.

If I, Huang Buyu, could seize this opportunity to become his disciple, wouldn't that mean I could enjoy the blessings of one person attaining the Dao and their poultry and dogs ascending to heaven?

"The world is vast, and there are wonders everywhere. You'll know once you read more books."

Mo Chuan reached out, picked up a wild fruit, casually wiped it on his body, and took a bite with a crunch.

The bite made his eyes squint and his molars tingle.

Sour!

What a sour wild fruit.

However, after the initial sourness, there was a hint of pure, spiritual energy in the aftertaste, leaving a long-lasting impression.

"Netherworld Immortal of the Nine Netherworlds, Huang Buyu of Qukou wishes to sweep your gates for you, begging only for your guidance, as you deem me not too foolish."

Seeing Mo Chuan eating the offering fruit, Huang Buyu was startled and immediately bowed his head.

Mo Chuan, who was about to take a second bite, was dumbfounded.

"I am but a mortal, unable to lift a hand or carry on my shoulder. You must have the wrong person."

Mo Chuan's self-deprecating words, however, were interpreted by Huang Buyu as the humility and test of a powerful being.

In fact, Mo Chuan's ability to say this so calmly was not unrelated to his feat of slaying the Great Five-Armored Demon with his sword.

Having slain the Great Five-Armored Demon with his sword, while his physical strength was currently inferior to this Yellow Weasel Spirit, his mindset had undergone a subtle change.

"Even among humans, there are ordinary people and sages," Huang Buyu replied shrewdly.

"What flattery! You really know how to curry favor!" Mo Chuan chuckled.

"I now attach myself to the phoenix with drooping wings; in the future, I will not be ashamed to be a snake that becomes a dragon," Huang Buyu quickly replied.

Mo Chuan fell silent.

He stared intently at the Yellow Weasel Spirit before him and after a long pause asked, "Five Immortals Sect? Four Gates Sect?"

Huang Buyu's heart relaxed, and he quickly replied, "Replying to the Immortal, your disciple belongs to the Four Gates Sect. In Qingshui County, there is a lay disciple known as Half-Immortal Huang."

Mo Chuan thought for a moment and said, "From now on, call me Mister Mo. Investigate the background of Chong Shizi from Qingshui."

After saying this, his figure suddenly vanished.

"Plop!"

A fruit pit fell from the air, landing on the offering table. It rolled around the edge and then dropped off.

Huang Buyu, with quick reflexes, caught it with its claws and prostrated itself on the ground.

"Thank you, Mister, for the pit. Your disciple will attend to it immediately."

After respectfully kowtowing three times, it carefully took out a handkerchief from its embrace, wrapped the pit, and turned to leave.

Once it left the Chen Family ancestral hall and exited the village, it didn't stop its steps. It fled directly to its secret lair before finally halting, its breath slightly uneven.

This was a cave in a cliff face.

Neither touching the heavens nor reaching the earth, it was undisturbed by moonlight and unbothered by wild beasts.

Save for the watchful hunting falcons, it was a perfect spot for moonlit worship in the wilderness.

With Illusionary Arts protecting it, the only threat, the hunting falcon, had instead become its guard dog.

At this moment, it landed on the moon-worshipping platform, bathing in the soft moonlight, and paced back and forth excitedly.

"The Immortal neither agreed nor refused, but instead asked me to investigate Chong Shizi. Clearly, this is an introductory trial!"

"The Immortal's test must be extraordinary. What seems like idle chatter might hold profound meaning!"

While contemplating, Huang Buyu took out the fruit pit from its embrace, opened the handkerchief, and examined it closely, its thoughts drifting.

"When the Immortal left, he gave me a fruit pit and told me to thoroughly investigate Chong Shizi's background. Is there a connection between these two things?"

"Let me think. The Immortal asked me if I was from the Five Immortals Sect or the Four Gates Sect. Fruit pit? Pit? Could it be that he's telling me to seek harmony? No, how could an Immortal's words be so simple?"

"Harmony? Harmony and radiance, mingling with the dust? That's possible..."

"Wait, of the offering fruits, the Immortal alone enjoyed this wild fruit. Could this wild fruit hold a special opportunity?"

"If I recall correctly, this wild fruit was picked from Yellow Maple Slope on Huayin Mountain. Could there be something mysterious there?"

"Well, whether there is or not, it won't hurt to go and see."

"Speaking of which, who is this Chong Shizi from Qingshui? He sounds like a Daoist priest. The Immortal asked me to investigate Chong Shizi, so it must be more than just him..."

"If that's the case, which Daoist temple has disciples with the surname 'Shi'?"

Huang Buyu's thoughts churned and boiled with leaps and bounds; this night was destined to be a sleepless one for it.

[The "Five Immortals Sect" and "Four Gates Sect" are my adaptations of the terms "Five Great Immortals" and "Four Great Gates."

The Five Great Immortals are: Fox, Weasel, White Snake, Willow Deity, Hedgehog.

The Four Great Gates are: Fox, Weasel, White Snake, Willow Deity. (Some traditions include the rat (Hedgehog), making it the Five Great Gates.)

While the difference may seem small, according to folk legends, the distinction is quite significant.

The Five Great Immortals are both demons and immortals. The motivation for folk worship is often reverence and fear of their mischief.

The Four Great Gates refer to the Chuma Immortal and spirit medium lineage, which emphasizes borrowing human vessels to overcome tribulations, accumulate merit, establish halls, and receive incense offerings.

From this perspective, it's not entirely unreasonable to classify "Yellow Weasel Spirit seeking human form by borrowing a person" under the Four Great Gates.

This book adopts both, as they are two of the Three Thousand Great Daos, simply following different paths, with no inherent superiority or inferiority.]