Ten Taels of Immortal Fate

The space inside the pot was cramped, narrow, and cold.

Even the Lampwick Monk, long accustomed to confined spaces, found it difficult to adapt this time, feeling utterly suffocated.

One was hard porcelain, the other warm and soft; naturally, the two couldn't be compared.

Its bleak prospects left it bewildered and terrified!

It wanted to escape, yet feared the "bull-nosed" Taoist's blinding radiance;

If it didn't run, it feared the "bull-nosed" Taoist would suddenly cook it for lamp oil.

As its thoughts drifted, it suddenly noticed that the teapot was steady, with no sign of being shaken.

Could that bull-nosed Taoist have fallen asleep?

While the Lampwick Monk pondered, it dared to push open the teapot lid, intending to get a look at the outside.

It would have been better if it hadn't looked;

The moment it did, the scene outside the pot shocked its mind so intensely.

It saw only a vast, dark, and empty expanse, with no external objects.

As far as the eye could see was like a boundless universe, with no stars in the sky, only wisps of curling smoke drifting within.

Seeing the smoke, the Lampwick Monk inexplicably felt a surge of gluttony and instinctively took a mouthful.

The smoke entered its belly, spreading throughout its limbs and bones. A feeling of clarity and refreshment instantly bloomed in its soul, bringing immense comfort!

It was ten thousand times more satisfying than absorbing Yin energy.

"What is this? It can even increase my cultivation!"

The Lampwick Monk was greatly astonished. Just as it was about to take another mouthful, its vision suddenly spun.

It was flung out of the teapot by a strange force and landed on the table.

Before it could even look around, an angry shout came.

"You wicked monk! How dare you deceive this humble Taoist with evil arts! If I go mad, I will drag you down with me before I perish!"

The Lampwick Monk looked up in shock and saw the "bull-nosed" Taoist sitting cross-legged on the couch, pale-faced, regulating his breath.

On his knees lay a piece of blue paper containing the Art of Ascending and Copying.

"Esteemed Taoist, please believe me, how could this humble monk dare to deceive you? The Art of Ascending and Copying that I learned truly comes from here!"

Seeing Mo Chuan holding several flickering talismans, the Lampwick Monk hurriedly explained.

"Esteemed Taoist, did you perhaps lose your breath while discerning the Dao and clarifying the mind? When I practiced that, I also encountered some trouble. You only need to inhale Qi through your nose and exhale through your mouth, gently guiding it, as if taking a long breath..."

The Lampwick Monk thought Mo Chuan had practiced incorrectly. For the sake of its own life, it quickly spilled all its cultivation experience.

It feared that if Mo Chuan couldn't regulate his breath and became enraged, he would simply cut it down.

"...Esteemed Taoist, how are you? Are you feeling any better now?"

After speaking, the Lampwick Monk asked nervously.

Unexpectedly, Mo Chuan, whose face had been pale just moments before, suddenly chuckled softly. He reached out into the void and drew a sharp steel Nangzi dagger, his fingertip tracing its sharp edge.

"You wicked monk are quite amusing! I judged your disposition to be wicked and didn't dare to fake it. I intended to test you, but I didn't expect that not only would you not dare to fake it, but you wouldn't even dare to escape, rendering my one-foot Nangzi useless!"

The Lampwick Monk's face turned ashen upon hearing this. How could it not understand what had happened?

Instantly, fear made its legs go weak, as if plunged into an ice cave. It kowtowed repeatedly, "Esteemed Taoist is benevolent! Thank you for sparing my life!"

Mo Chuan then asked, "Are the incense offerings in my furnace pure?"

The Lampwick Monk was stunned. "So that was the incense offerings?"

Mo Chuan clicked his tongue. "A mere lamp wick that, under the pressure of life and death, transformed into a demon! It possesses no demonic aura, and even took on a human form. With all sorts of unorthodox techniques in the room, it managed to find the Daoist Art of Ascending and Copying. Now, having consumed my incense offerings, it doesn't even recognize them. Tsk, you truly are a creature of heaven and earth!"

The Lampwick Monk was completely bewildered, not knowing what this "bull-nosed" Taoist, whose mind was like a demon's, was lamenting.

"Never mind! Considering you haven't killed anyone and have brought this opportunity to this humble Taoist, I won't kill you. Scram back!"

Mo Chuan said with a smile and a scolding tone.

—This lamp wick might be a demon that has absorbed the great fortune of heaven and earth; keeping it might have some unexpected use.

"Esteemed Taoist is benevolent!"

The Lampwick Monk, as if granted a great pardon, cupped its hands in flattery and jumped back into the teapot.

Seeing this, Mo Chuan immediately threw the teapot into the Sacrificial Dao Furnace.

As for the Lampwick Monk consuming his incense offerings, it was merely the residual dregs after he had absorbed the incense offerings, a drop in the ocean, not worth mentioning.

After putting the Lampwick Monk away, Mo Chuan immediately began to practice the Art of Ascending and Copying.

With the Lampwick Monk's cultivation experience as a reference, he entered it extremely quickly. In just half an hour, he had gained a basic understanding and some insights.

The rabbit descended and the crow ascended; the east was already white.

In his state of meditation and enlightenment, a night passed in the blink of an eye.

But when he opened his eyes again, his gaze was instantly filled with radiant energy.

He got up and performed a set of Tai Chi. It was a special program the school had organized when he was studying. Although he hadn't grasped its essence, he still had some of the basic form.

As he moved now, his actions were as swift as lightning.

After finishing the Tai Chi routine, Mo Chuan looked at the window and puffed out his cheeks, blowing a breath.

Unexpectedly, his breath, which could normally only blow away feathers and dust, came out like a dragon's sneeze. A gust of wind suddenly swept through the room, blowing the window open with a bang.

"Marvelous! This Art of Ascending and Copying is truly an all-around buff!"

"With my current meager cultivation, I already have such miraculous effects! If I were to cultivate for several hundred years, wouldn't I be able to command the wind with my words and move like lightning?"

"No wonder it's said in the Daoist tradition: 'Attain one method within the Dao, and one art within the method, and you can become a Celestial Being!' If one Daoist art is already this miraculous, how extraordinary must it be to cultivate Daoist magic?"

For a moment, Mo Chuan's heart burned with excitement, and his resolve to cultivate the Dao became even firmer than rock!

He was exhilarated for a while before composing himself and heading downstairs to prepare a sacrifice to appease his stomach.

To his surprise, as soon as he descended the stairs, he saw Steward Zhang beaming with joy, enthusiastically chatting with the shopkeeper.

Upon seeing Mo Chuan coming down the stairs, he quickly cupped his fists and said, "Greetings, Daoist Master Mingchen!"

Mo Chuan returned the gesture, "Is everything well with you, layman?"

Steward Zhang replied, "Thanks to the Daoist Master's blessings, my household finally had a peaceful night's sleep!"

As he spoke, a servant approached with a tray.

On it lay a row of official silver, gleaming white. Counting carefully, there were ten taels!

This scene caused a stir in the tavern, with many customers craning their necks to get a closer look, whispering amongst themselves.

Through their hushed conversations, everyone learned that the demonic presence in Steward Zhang's household had been subdued!

The one who subdued the demon was the young Daoist priest from upstairs, who had been without any hair.

"You are too kind, host!"

Mo Chuan didn't stand on ceremony. As he walked down the stairs, his Daoist robe swept past, and the ten taels of gleaming silver vanished without a trace.

The sight left everyone gasping in awe.

"Truly, the details reveal the mastery; such skill!"

Seeing this, Steward Zhang's smile widened. He leaned in with a fawning expression and asked, "Daoist Master, your mana is boundless. I am extremely impressed. May I shamelessly request a memorial tablet talisman, so that I may offer incense regularly?"

"Got it!"

"So, the ten taels of official silver weren't taken for nothing."

"It turns out he wants after-sales service?!"

However, this request perfectly suited Mo Chuan's needs.

"Certainly, certainly!"

Mo Chuan smiled faintly, walked to a wooden table, and extended his index finger, drawing what looked like characters on the tabletop with swift, flowing strokes.

"Hey, Daoist Master, what are you doing?"

Everyone watched, utterly bewildered. Just as the discussion began, Mo Chuan finished writing and withdrew his hand.

"Daoist Master Mingchen, what is this?"

Steward Zhang leaned in, glanced at the completely unharmed tabletop, and asked with a strange expression.

"Offer three sticks of incense with sincerity every day, and your household will be protected from evil!"

After speaking, Mo Chuan waved his sleeve.

"Whoosh—"

A gust of wind surged from his sleeve, scattering wood chips from the tabletop and kicking up dust that stung the eyes.

When the wind subsided, everyone was dumbfounded.

"The table! There are words on the table!"

Steward Zhang looked closely and saw that on the tabletop where Daoist Master Mingchen had drawn, a large character, "Rain Head Jie," had appeared as if carved by a knife, deeply etched into the wood.

"Daoist Master Mingchen, what incredible divine ability!"

Steward Zhang was stunned and instinctively looked towards Daoist Mingchen.

However, when he turned back, Daoist Mingchen was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did Daoist Master Mingchen go?" Steward Zhang asked a servant.

The servant was also taken aback. A quick-witted one immediately ran to the entrance of the tavern and pointed down the street, shouting, "Daoist Master Mingchen is over there!"

"Quick, chase him, chase him!"

Steward Zhang took a couple of steps to chase before realizing, then pointed at his household servant, "Quick, quick! The table! Buy the table for me and keep it safe."

After saying that, he ran to the outside of the tavern and happened to see Daoist Master Mingchen's retreating figure.

He quickly took off in pursuit.

Unexpectedly, Daoist Master Mingchen's figure seemed to recede further and further the more he chased.

In the blink of an eye, he had reached the end of the official road, vanishing into the bustling crowd.

"Huff... huff... How can the Daoist Master have such fast legs?"

"That's right, we didn't even see him run!"

The two pursuing household servants panted, their faces filled with bewildered surprise.

"He's an immortal!"

Steward Zhang slapped his thigh in frustration. "What a sin! How could I not have seen it? My chance for immortality!"

[Some esteemed readers may not have read the original work by the Lampwick Monk, and thus are displeased with the protagonist taking him in. Here's an explanation: this is a secondary setting. In the original, it was a consensual matter, which is difficult to detail in a book, so the Lampwick Monk cannot be considered a rapist.]