A Friend From Afar

A decree is issued by the mandate of heaven.

An order is given to summon people with a token.

And the Supreme One...

I dare not think, dare not speak, dare not recall.

Then, between heaven and earth, the Primordial Qi seemed to condense and surge violently. The Earth Deity, Elder Tao, felt his heart pounding wildly. He stumbled a step, as if falling into a vortex. Looking up, he could see the clarity of heaven and earth, but could faintly hear two voices, one ancient and gentle, the other clear and youthful, chanting in whispers. Finally, the old man's voice gradually faded, as if it were just his imagination.

Only the young man's voice remained clear.

"Supreme Edict, to save your lonely souls, ghosts and spirits of all kinds, may all four forms of life receive grace."

"Those with heads shall be saved, those without shall ascend. Killed by spears or knives, drowned or hanged by ropes."

"Dying in light or darkness, wronged and unjustly deceased, creditors and enemies, those seeking retribution."

"Kneel before me, the Eight Trigrams shining bright. Step out from the Kan trigram, and be reborn in another realm."

Qi WuHuo merely followed the old man's chanting. As he played the zither, wisps of golden light appeared on the strings. He saw the Yin energy dissipate from those who had been harmed. He saw the men and women, each bearing the marks of their gruesome deaths, regain their original appearances within this golden light.

Their clothes became clean and tidy, the bloodstains and bruises vanished.

A faint golden light emanated from them.

Finally, they seemed to know they had to leave. Looking at the faint golden light on their bodies, they looked towards the young man playing the zither with gratitude. As Qi WuHuo was about to rise and return the bow, he stumbled and could barely stand.

The old man stroked his beard and said calmly, "Do not push yourself too hard."

"This incantation at the doorway was formed by the power of your great vow to save others, consuming your Primordial Spirit."

"Although I helped you, you also expended a considerable amount yourself."

Qi WuHuo nodded, his fingers pressing on the zither strings. With a gentle smile, he watched the souls disappear before looking away. He then asked, "Old man, what is this incantation at the doorway called?"

The old man stroked his beard and casually replied:

"I just thought of it. It doesn't have a name."

Qi WuHuo asked doubtfully, "You just thought of it?"

The old man laughed heartily, his face unmoving, "Yes, yes. This old Daoist has lived too long. I only just managed to recall it."

"When one gets old, it's easy to forget things."

Qi WuHuo said, "Since you recalled it, it should have a name."

"It does have a name. I just remembered it."

The old man smiled, stroking his beard:

"Yes, I just remembered."

"The full title should be The Supreme Daoist Lord's Scripture for Saving Suffering, Removing Calamities, and Rebirth."

Qi WuHuo murmured to himself, "Scripture...?"

The old man smiled, "Most Daoist Canon texts are also categorized. Depending on their difficulty, they can roughly be divided into [Marvelous Dharma], [Profound Scripture], [Jade Incantation], [Daoist Canon], and [True Scripture]. They increase in difficulty in that order. However, although [True Scripture] is considered the highest in status, it is also the most widely circulated. Regardless of the level of what is written, most will be titled [True Scripture]."

"I don't think they are being arrogant."

"Those who write these scriptures probably hope that those who come after will bravely advance and move forward."

"To truly deduce their fundamental methods to the level of [True Scripture]."

The old man seemed to approve of this practice.

Qi WuHuo murmured these words to himself, then thought of Tantai Xuan, who cultivated Primordial Prenatal Qi, mastered the supernatural ability of wind manipulation, and proclaimed he could establish his own lineage. The Nine Nether Long Night Corpse Raising and Soul Crossing Profound Scripture of Spiritual Treasures that Tantai Xuan cultivated also belonged to the Profound Scripture category. He couldn't help but be curious about what he had learned. He hesitated, wanting to ask, but then thought better of it and remained silent.

The old man smiled, "WuHuo, is there something you wish to ask?"

Qi WuHuo pursed his lips.

Ultimately, a trace of youthful spirit emerged, and he lowered his voice, quickly asking in a whisper, "Then, what is it that you are teaching me?"

The old man burst into laughter.

Finally, he saw a trace of the boy's age on this young man, who seemed so calm even when executing evil cultivators and saving lost souls.

He extended a finger and pointed at the blue-robed youth, chuckling, "You, you, haha."

"However, you are still young. The events in your dreams are merely for tempering the heart. They are like reality, yet not, and cannot be taken as truth."

"You ask what you are cultivating?"

"If I must say."

"What I am doing is guiding you. What I am passing on is not a complete Daoist Canon."

"So..."

The old man paused, stroked his beard, his expression gentle and unrestrained, and said, "Listen carefully. What I am imparting to you."

"Does not fall into these five categories."

"It is not of the [Marvelous Dharma] type, nor is it among the [Profound Scripture] ranks, nor is it called a [Jade Incantation] scroll."

"It is not kept in the [Daoist Canon], nor is it recorded in the texts of [True Scripture]."

"Only taught orally, you know it, I know it, only you can learn it."

"These alone must not be passed on to others in the future."

Qi WuHuo's understanding of cultivation was not yet deep enough to grasp the old man's jesting words.

The old man took the scroll recording the last wishes of these people from his hand. Seeing the regrets and words they wished to say to their families, each word earnest and from the heart, the old man sighed, closing the scroll. "Does WuHuo know why the Daoist sects require multiple heart-refining tests before passing on their teachings? Only those with pure and steadfast hearts can be taught the Great Dao?"

Looking at the words, the old man said, "Cultivators seeking longevity often spend the first half of their lives wandering the world, living freely and unrestrainedly."

"They dismiss all sorts of longevity-enhancing methods with disdain."

"However, as their lifespan approaches its limit, they find no path to breakthrough."

"The longer it takes, the more they are driven by fear. If their state of mind is not strong enough, they often cannot bear such fear and gradually transform, becoming 'worms' that will use any means to extend their lives. Worms, as in poisonous insects… To prolong their own lives, they would resort to any method."

"Although each sect is extremely cautious when passing down teachings, the human heart is prone to change, making it difficult to predict accurately."

Qi WuHuo murmured, "Worms…"

As the old man spoke, he seemed to see countless young Daoists, full of youthful spirit just like himself now, walking step by step, only to eventually be unable to withstand the pressure of their lifespan's limit. They gradually twisted, gradually straying from their original intentions, transforming into distorted, worm-like beings in the cracks of heaven and earth, writhing with the desire to extend their lives.

The old man glanced at him. "Do you not know why?"

"Because, after you refine the Primordial Essence and retrieve your Life Treasure, you will see for yourself how long your lifespan will be."

Qi WuHuo's expression shifted slightly, understanding the oppressive weight of those words.

"After that, every day you live, you will know exactly how much Primordial Qi and lifespan you consume."

"Every day, you will clearly feel your lifespan decreasing, feeling the approach of your death."

The old man pointed two fingers at Qi WuHuo's brow, causing his Niwan Palace to feel a sense of stagnation and sharp pain. He said:

"It is like seeing a sword destined to take your life, approaching you every day."

"You cannot avoid it, cannot escape it. Destined to dissipate your Primordial Qi and die on that specific day and time, it approaches daily, ceaselessly month after month."

"Not a step faster, but also not a step slower."

"This is the Great Terror."

The old man rubbed the young man's head, smiling. "But you must remember."

"Though seeking longevity, he who faces death without fear and sings with an upturned basin is a true Daoist."

"Since you call yourself 'This poor Daoist,' you must know what a Daoist is."

"A person who walks the Great Dao, whose body and mind are in harmony with reason, who follows the Dao exclusively, and whose actions are for the Dao, is a Daoist."

"Today, I will teach you four words. WuHuo must remember them well."

The old man paused, his voice lowering.

"Seek, but do not covet."

"It seems a friend has arrived. I shall not show myself…"

The old man rubbed Qi WuHuo's black hair. When he raised his hand, he had already vanished, naturally and without a trace.

Qi WuHuo's Primordial Spirit was utterly exhausted, yet he sensed a familiar aura outside. However, he couldn't tell which Earth Deity it was, nor could he call out their name. He wanted to get up and open the door, but his physical body was even less capable than his Primordial Spirit, unable to move at all. He could only place his hand on the zither, his Primordial Spirit resonating with the music to open the gate.

Elder Tao looked at the low wooden door, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

He had just heard the zither music and seen the souls refined by the Spiritual Treasure Cave Profound lineage's methods being directly transcended—

A single melody, capable of crossing over departed souls?!!

The old Earth Deity had recognized those ghost messengers from the Underworld, but he had never heard of such a technique!

He wanted to retreat.

But he dared not!

As he struggled with indecision, he suddenly heard the zither's melodious sound, clear and resonant, vast and distant, like an immortal's tune. The wooden door opened on its own.

The young man sat beneath the plum blossom tree, playing the zither. His blue robe was as before, black hair cascading down. His voice was clear, warm, and bright:

"A friend comes from afar, is it not a joy?"

"Friend, please come in…"